Dizzy Defense for an Underdog
by ArtisteFish
Summary: Upon inheriting her grandpa's law firm, Kagome reopens a decade old murder case to release an innocent half-demon from wrongful imprisonment; but putting together a solid case gets a little more complicated when both lawyer and convict are faced with unexpected feelings for each other. InuKag prequel to "Miroku, Private Eye"; au, inspired by 1930s film noir.
1. Rhapsody in Prison-blue

Dizzy Defense for an Underdog

*Set in an alternate version of 1930s depression-era America, where demons live alongside humans but with their powers policed. This is a prequel to my story "Miroku, Private Eye", which takes place a year or two after this story (and which will spoil the outcome of this one if you choose to read it as well)

~Chapter One: Rhapsody in Prison-Blue~

* * *

The click of Kagome's kitten-heels against the concrete floor of the prison might as well have been a dinner-bell the way it brought the salivating men to their gates. The young defense attorney followed closely behind the prison guard, eyes fixed straight ahead as she tried not to see the leering faces and lewd gestures of the criminals in their dingy blue jumpsuits. It wasn't every day they got a lovely lady visitor like this, with curled black hair topped by a small and fashionable hat and wearing a slim, figure-enhancing pencil skirt, and they were certainly determined to make the most of it. But she wasn't here to entertain lonely prisoners. She was only here for one of them, and if everything went the way she planned, he wouldn't be a prisoner here much longer.

A few wolf-whistles broke the relative silence of the prison block, and Kagome winced as the guard rapped his club against the iron bars with a shout for the men to keep it down. She shivered at the angry responses and walked just a little faster. Prisons weren't her usual scene; she'd watched her grandfather work with criminals in the past, but he'd been an older man with fool-hardy courage and a fighting spirit. He was persuasive but genuine, and he'd been respected by even his hardest clients. 'Plus he's been doing this longer than I have' she thought sourly, 'a little _too_ long.' It had been a few months since her grandfather had decided to retire, announcing to the family that he'd be leaving the law office to Kagome, who'd been working as his secretary. She'd been a little incensed at first that he would lay such a hefty responsibility on her, but then again, this was something she'd always dreamed of doing. Since she was little she'd admired her grandpa's work, standing up for the underdog and defending the innocent, and through the years she'd determined to do the same. But life had gotten in the way, and the depression the country found itself facing had swept her dreams of attending law school out the door. Her father had died when she was young, and Grandpa's work made just enough to support her mother, brother, and herself; she couldn't ask her family to sacrifice like that for her. So when her grandfather had handed her that mantle, her life became a whirlwind of studies and cramming as she prepared to take the bar exam and qualify to become a lawyer. It was a miracle that she'd passed, and an even greater miracle that she'd done it with her sanity intact.

They reached the end of the cell block and the guard unlocked a heavy door, behind which the more dangerous criminals resided. Kagome swallowed nervously as the inevitable encounter loomed before her. She'd thought taking on an older case, one that already had some work behind it, would warm her up more to actually practicing law. She'd gone through her grandpa's old case records, wanting to reacquaint herself with his methods, and somehow she had stumbled onto this one. It wasn't even a case he had handled; he'd dealt with a property settlement that had piggy-backed off of the much larger murder scandal, but something about this case in particular had caught her eye. She scoured local files in search of more information on the murder, but what she found just didn't add up. It appeared the defense at the time had been nearly non-existent, and it hadn't helped that the defendant had all but completely refused to talk. Add to that the fact that he was half-demon, and… well, the jury didn't really have reason _not_ to convict him. Kagome clutched the folder of case-files tighter, her righteous indignation flaring up again at the obvious bigotry the poor man had faced going into the trial. She'd always hated how demons in this city were treated: segregated to the opposite side of town and stripped of their powers all because the humans couldn't figure out how to coexist. She knew the demons were dangerous, and even now demon gangs were still the largest threat to the city, but… they were living, breathing people, weren't they? Even if they were a little 'otherworldly', didn't everyone deserve a chance?

Kagome squared her shoulders as they entered the next wing of the prison, determined to give this man the benefit of the doubt. She'd been handed a folder of his records upon her arrival at the jail but had refused to look at them; she could only guess how biased they would be, and she didn't want anything tainting her first meeting with this 'Inuyasha' person. Aside from some faded and non-descript renderings of the court case, she didn't even know what he looked like. They reached a cell near the end of the hallways, and the guard banged noisily on the bars with his staff, yelling out "Prisoner 1201 - you've got a visitor."

She didn't see him at first, hidden in the shadows of the cell where the artificial lights couldn't reach, but the glint of refracted white light off his eyes had her almost gasping as Prisoner 1201 raised his head to look at her. Kagome strangely felt like a cornered mouse as the broad-shouldered prisoner glared at her through the bars, sitting hunched over on his thin cot. Vertical shadows fell over him, obstructing her view, but as the guard stepped back and Kagome stepped a little closer, she began to make out his features. His bright eyes were a striking yellow, framed by dark lashes and thick eyebrows, partially hidden under heavy silver-white bangs. His mouth drew into a sneer as he looked at her, and Kagome glimpsed sharp fangs peeking out behind his lip. Faint white stubble along his jaw gave his appearance a harsh edge… but then Kagome noticed the two twitching triangles atop his head, and suddenly he didn't seem so scary anymore. 'So!' She thought giddily, 'he really does have dog-ears!'

Such awfully cute features gave Kagome the courage she needed to open her mouth, and she spoke up with only the slightest stutter "H-hello! My name's Miss Kagome Higurashi. I uh… I'd like to speak with you about your case." Kagome hadn't a clue as to what his reaction would be; she couldn't say what her own reaction would be in such an instance. She certainly wasn't expecting for him to scoff at her and worsen his glare. What was it she'd said?

"If you come here for hints at that damn stone," he rasped, his voice gravelly but not terribly deep, "you're outta luck. I never saw what happened to it."

Kagome's brow quirked in confusion. A stone? What on earth was he talking about? She ran over his response a few times in her head, trying to figure out where to take their failing conversation, but before she could formulate a response he spoke again, sounding beyond irritated as he snapped "Yeah, them's the pits, doll-face. Now stop gapin' like a trout and get outta my sight."

Her jaw only dropped further at his insults, indignation welling up in her head. 'Who's he calling a 'trout'?' she thought angrily, though the realization that she was still gawking had her shutting her mouth with a snap. Mentally counting to ten, Kagome forced her temper down, trying to maintain a professional demeanor. He had every right to be little snippy, she supposed, having been incarcerated for ten years. She just needed to respond with patience and understanding, and they'd work through this.

Forcing her smile back in place, Kagome said in what she hoped was a friendly tone "I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding. I wanted to –"

"The only misunderstanding here" he growled, looking more dog-like by the minute, "is that you don't seem to get that you ain't welcome. Hit the road, Broad."

Kagome flinched, hurt starting to cloud her anger. Were men in prison always so rude? He wasn't even a real criminal! 'Who knows' she thought ruefully, 'maybe he's just always been like this.' The clanking of keys behind her reminded the young attorney that the guard was still there, witness to her public humiliation. 'I can't just let this fall apart' she rallied, 'this is my best chance of bringing success to the business! Grandpa needs me to stay strong!' Standing up a little taller, Kagome said firmly "Mr. I-Inuyasha, it really would be in your best interest to hear me out."

"Whadda you know about me!?" He snapped, suddenly standing from his cot and advancing on her. His stance was predatory and dangerous, but Kagome bravely held her ground. Coming right up to the bars, he grasped them in a white-knuckled grip, and Kagome was sure that if they hadn't been enforced with demon-weakening sutras, they would have snapped under the stress. Pressing his face against them, he snarled at her, biting out "You ain't got a clue what my life is like, so cut the bull and give up the ruse; I ain't tellin' you a damn thing."

That was it! She couldn't take this anymore! Stomping her heeled foot, she marched right up to the bars until they were almost nose to nose, and her brows creased as she shouted "Listen buddy, I don't know why you're so mad at me, but the only reason I'm here is to help you! I'm trying to get you out!"

The mild surprise he'd shown at her bold response became full shock at her words, then almost livid anger. "Don't futz with me, woman. I ain't got the patience for no half-baked jokes like that."

"It's not a joke" she said brusquely, staring boldly back into his angry gold eyes and watching his inhuman slit pupils constrict as he focused on her. "I wouldn't be here, in a prison, if it was."

"You're puttin' me on." He said gruffly, expression still angry but eyes turning ever so slightly hopeful. And that little spark of hope was enough to soften Kagome's own expression, and she took a step back to say in a much calmer voice "I mean it. I'm reopening your case, and I want to represent you in court."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, and in suspicious tones he asked "So what's the angle, doll?"

Kagome held in an angry huff. Didn't he know how to use people's names? "It's _Kagome_ , Inuyasha," she said stiffly, lifting her chin daringly "And I happen to know you were framed." His eyes were suddenly unnervingly intense, his jaw clenched, and Kagome watched him carefully, looking for – aha! There it was! It had only been a flash, but she knew she had seen relief in his yellow eyes. Kagome had always been a good judge of other's character, and she had hoped that meeting the man in person would give her the last hint she needed as to whether what she was trying to prove was true or not; and he hadn't disappointed. She was sure of it now: he really was innocent.

A smile, wide and genuine, spread across her face then, and Inuyasha looked even more lost at the sight of it. She almost laughed at his sudden turn in attitude. "Well!" she started happily, reaching into her briefcase, "I won't take any more of your time, seeing as how I dropped in unexpectedly."

"I live in a prison. I ain't got anywhere else to be."

Kagome flushed embarrassedly at her unintentional insensitivity, but didn't comment further, instead pulling a small card from a stack and handing it through the bars to him. She tried to at least, before a sharp "Hold it, Lady" had her jumping, having forgotten the guard was still watching. 'Stupid!' She chided herself, 'You can't just go handing things to prisoners!' She pulled her hand back sharply, looking guiltily at the approaching guard. He took the card from her, gave the flimsy square of paper a thorough investigation, then offered it to Inuyasha, who reached through the bars to tug it away with a scowl. "Lousy vulture" he muttered, turning the small card over in his hand. He was silent for a moment, then turned an arched eyebrow on Kagome. "So what's this for?"

"Wh… It's my business card. So you'll know which line to call for my office." Honestly, hadn't he bothered to read it?

He scoffed, and without a second glance flicked the card onto the floor of the cell behind him. Kagome watched it flutter to the ground, a vein in her temple twitching at the immature move. "What'd you do that for?" She snapped, her angry gaze back in place as she looked up at him, hands on her hips.

"You see a phone in there?" He asked mockingly, gesturing with a clawed thumb over his shoulder, "What good's a number gonna do me in the slammer?"

She rolled her eyes, no longer caring about making a good impression on the hot-headed man; the damage was already done. Hopefully it would only go up from here. "Well obviously there's not one in the cell, but… they allow you phone calls, don't they?" Her confidence slipped at his raised eyebrow, and she looked behind her at the guard once again leaning against the bars of an empty cell, asking him "He's allowed to call his lawyer, isn't he?"

Roused from his slight nodding off, the guard pursed his lips and responded moodily "Gee Lady, why you askin' me for? Do I look like an encyclopedia? Bother the people at the front desk!"

Her shoulders hunched defensively, and she felt her words catch in her throat. She was startled though by a light growl from in front of her, and turned wide eyes at the prisoner who was giving the guard a nasty glare. "Full o' hospitality, ain't ya? Why don't ya show the girl a little respect?"

Kagome's eyebrows shot straight into her hairline, and it wasn't until he looked back down at her that she managed to say, with no little amusement "You called me a trout not five minutes ago."

He didn't look the least bit rattled as he said dismissively "Yeah, well, I'm the one in jail. A man on the outside ain't got no excuse." Kagome crossed her arms, giving him a dry look that clearly said 'you don't have an excuse either' but he ignored her and continued "Anyways, didn't you say you were leavin'? You might wanna make tracks before old faithful over there blows his top." The guard muttered a few colorful words at the insult and Inuyasha sneered in return.

Fidgeting under the obvious animosity, Kagome said lightly "If that's how you're going to be about all this, then I guess I _will_ go."

Inuyasha turned suddenly earnest eyes on her, and Kagome froze at the strange look. "So… you givin' up on me already, or what?"

"No…" she answered carefully, surprised that the thought seemed to worry him. 'Then again' she pondered, 'I _am_ his only chance out of this place, and he sure doesn't seem to like the surroundings.' Putting on a more familiar smile, she continued "I'll come back in a few days with some papers for you to sign, as well as some records I'd like to look over with you. This whole release process will probably take a while, and eventually you'll have another hearing, but I'll need your full cooperation on all accounts, or this isn't going to work."

Inuyasha turned away from her probing stare with a huff, crossing his arms and closing his eyes in a petulant frown. "Don't be so demanding, doll-face. You're lucky we're even havin' this conversation. If I gotta put up with your chatter and that damn smell, you better start showin' some gratitude."

"What smell?!"

Inuyasha turned back slowly, fear dawning on his face as he realized what he had let slip, and Kagome narrowed her eyes accusingly at the half-demon. "What. Smell." She enunciated slowly, the words dripping with the wounded pride of a lion ready to pounce. He swallowed nervously, but apparently didn't take the hint, as his response was entirely the wrong thing to say. "You. You stink."

Kagome saw red, absolutely through with taking insults from the man behind the iron bars. She stomped up the bars again, and saw his nostrils flare as she approached. She remembered reading that he was half-dog-demon; his sense of smell was undoubtedly more enhanced than a human's. So, the jerk didn't like her smell? She'd make sure his little doggy-nose didn't soon forget it! Digging a hand into the inside pocket of her blazer, Kagome drug out a square of cloth, wadded it into a ball, and threw it squarely at his twitching nose. It hit its mark and bounced off harmlessly, though Inuyasha caught it before it could fall. He held it gingerly between two clawed fingers, giving it an appraising look before turning to Kagome with half-hidden amusement. Great; not only was he laughing at her, but now she was down a handkerchief. She groaned in frustration and turned away towards the exit down the hall, wanting to get as far away from the infuriating man as possible. "Three days!" She yelled over her shoulder, making him flinch "And you'd better be in a more helpful mood by then, or so help me!" And with those words she yanked open the door and slammed it behind her, leaving the prison guard stumbling and shouting after her. He cast one despairing glance back at the half-demon prisoner and his contraband, but Inuyasha only stuffed the handkerchief in his jumpsuit, snarling out "Get your own, mooch" and the guard was forced to let the matter go in favor of chasing after the young attorney storming aimlessly through hallways full of unpredictable and dangerous felons.

Inuyasha waited until the door to his personal prison was shut and locked before pulling the handkerchief back out, giving it a quick sniff before heading back over to his cot. He bent to pick up the fallen business card on his path, then took both of his new treasures back to his rickety bed. Sitting cross-legged on the hard mat, Inuyasha started his inspections with the card, noting the fancily printed black scrawl that he was sure said some flowery trash about law and justice. He'd never been good at reading back before his time in the cooler, and the men running the prison weren't all that concerned with the continuing education of a half-breed with a life sentence.

With an angry grunt he shoved the card under his flattened pillow and turned his attention to the much, _much_ more interesting spoil. It was so saturated in her smell that he didn't even need to have it close to catch it, but he put it to his nose anyways, taking a deep breath and letting that scent and all its nuances fill him up. _Gosh_ but she smelled good. Not that she would ever know; he still couldn't believe his near slip-up in almost sharing such a secret. Shaking his head to dislodge the thought, Inuyasha set to work deciphering everything that little square of fabric was willing to tell him, and then some. No doubt she had file upon file of information on him, and it was only fair that he get to know a little more about her in return. Any chance of him willingly cooperating with the young woman hinged on what he'd be able to smell about her now. He took a few short sniffs, trying to sift and sort the information out in his head. It'd been a while since he'd smelled anything new in this place, and it was difficult to put names to all of the different elements assaulting his nose.

She wore no perfume, he noted, though he did pick up the faint aloe traces of lotion – no doubt some kind of ointment for her hands. She cared about her appearance but wasn't vain; a point to her. There were no traces of the smoke or tobacco everyone else always reeked of, so he wouldn't have to worry about _that_ particularly hated aroma any time soon; another point positive. He breathed a little deeper and picked up an animal scent - she owned a cat. Inuyasha smiled to himself, not at all surprised. 'Figures she'd have a cat' he mused, 'she's a bit like a cat herself: all claws and hissing, but… more in the cute way… like a kitten.'

His thoughts trailed off for a moment, remembering the fiery way she'd spoken to him and the boiling anger that had filled her eyes. It wasn't like the anger he usually faced; it had nothing to do with hate or prejudice like it did with everyone else. She was mad at him for being a jerk, not for being a half-demon. Come to think of it… she'd never once brought up his heritage the whole time they'd spoken. That had never happened before.

More confused than he cared to admit and not yet willing to dwell on it more, Inuyasha lay on his back, setting Kagome's handkerchief beside him and letting it's sweet scent wash over him as he started to doze. 'Three days, huh?' He thought with a smirk, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, he found himself with something to look forward to.

* * *

*Author's Note:

For those who have been eagerly awaiting the backstory to Kitten and Bloodhound's romance, it's finally here! This is going to be a multi-chapter fic, and I have no clue how long it will be, but rest assured, it will thoroughly explore their budding relationship and hopefully satisfy your InuKag craving! ;3

I'll still be writing "Miroku, Private Eye" in the meantime, so when you're waiting for more of the backstory, you can always cheat and skip ahead to the future to see what happy couple life is like for them! :3 Kind of a weird format, I know, but I started writing the other fic first, and I couldn't help writing this before that one was finished. I don't know if it will ever really 'finish' either, I'll just keep writing mysteries for them to solve.

Anyhow, thanks for the support everyone! You all make writing worth it!


	2. Can't We Be Friends?

~Dizzy Defense for an Underdog~

Chapter Two: Can't we be friends?

* * *

Kagome tapped impatiently on the high wooden table, her brow twitching in aggravation as she stared through the perforated glass in front of her. From her partitioned spot she had a clear view of the other half of the room and the hallway leading to the prison mess hall and gym. Guards and prisoners came and went down the passage, but never the one person she was waiting on – and had been waiting on for the past half hour. She had been told upon her arrival that he was finishing up his workout and would only be 5 minutes at most. Glancing at the clock, Kagome groaned in frustration and let her head fall back, breathing deeply and trying to bury her irritation in favor of a more professional attitude. She was still ashamed of how she had stormed out of the prison so rudely after that first meeting with Inuyasha, and didn't want another such outcome. True, he had provoked her, but that was no excuse for a licensed attorney to lose her head. Any chance of gaining his respect had neatly flown out the window at that act. How would he ever take her seriously now?

White and blue caught the corner of her eye, and Kagome righted herself to see Inuyasha being shoved into the room, his wrists bound with iron cuffs which he easily could have broken were it not for the holy enchantments etched into them. She caught his gaze, noting that he looked a little too smug for the situation, but he broke eye contact as the guard unlocked the cuffs and said gruffly "30 minutes, Mutt. You've got Mess Hall cleanup today." Snarling threateningly at the retreating guard, Inuyasha dropped into the chair on the other side of the glass from Kagome, glancing back for a moment to see the guard set up watch outside the room's long window. At the short leash of temporary freedom, Inuyasha leaned back in the chair with a sigh of relief, crossing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes, that smug little smirk returning. Watching him, Kagome was overcome by the strongest urge to push him over.

"Excuse me, Inuyasha, but this meeting is very important, and I don't have all day, so if you don't mind…."

He cracked a yellow eye open to peer at her with agitation, his lip quirked into a snarl that reminded her of the mugshot attached to his files. Honestly, was he always this unpleasant? Closing his eyes again and settling further into his chair, Inuyasha mumbled out a half-hearted "Yeah go on, I'm listening."

Drumming her fingers noisily on the wood table before her, Kagome waited in aggravated silence until Inuyasha once again glanced her way. At the slight eye contact Kagome said brusquely "I'm not a radio program Inuyasha, you can't just sit there and zone out. We need to have a conversation."

"Okay, doll-face" he said sarcastically, not bothering to move from his lounging position, "You say something worth answering, and I'll answer. Otherwise, tough breaks."

With growing frustration Kagome leaned towards the glass, her voice becoming more urgent as she said "Inuyasha, please, you're only making things more difficult for yourself by wasting time! The less productive these meetings are, the longer it'll take to get you another hearing, and the longer you'll be stuck here! Don't you want to get out of prison?"

His change in demeanor was so sudden and drastic that Kagome jumped back as he righted himself in his chair and slammed his hands onto the wood table, his snarling face almost touching the glass on his side of the partition. "What would you know about it, ya Shyster? You got it all nice and cozy out there in the city; you can do whatever you want, go wherever you want, whenever you want, and no one says a damn thing, do they? You with your little office job and your glad rags, probably lousy with lettuce too – you would never understand what it's like living here!"

He was positively fuming at the end of his tirade, but Kagome could no longer find it in herself to fight back. In a calm and quiet voice she responded "You're right – I don't understand. And hopefully, I never will. But don't you see, Inuyasha?" She leaned closer to the glass, almost wishing she could reach through it to comfort the troubled man and said softly "You should never have been in here to begin with. I only want to get you out of here, and get your name cleared, so that you can have that kind of freedom too." She smiled slightly, cocking her head to the side and asked "Is that so wrong?"

Inuyasha set her with a guarded stare, doubt hazing his yellow eyes, but he leaned back, sitting up alertly in his chair this time and crossing his arms over his chest. "Well?" he said after a moment, his voice still rough but not nearly as harsh as it had been, "What do you want to talk about?"

Kagome allowed her smile to spread a little wider and began "I've read through the old court records, and I've looked through your files, but honestly, they don't tell me much. I know you grew up in an orphanage, you're 28 years old, you're half human, half dog-demon, and from what I've seen so far, socializing isn't your strong point." With a crooked smile she gestured to the pile of papers and folders beside her on the table, saying "I've read the city's take on why you're in prison, and I've read the paper-thin defense they gave you." Pushing the stack of records aside, Kagome continued "But I don't trust that information much; I'd really rather hear what _you_ have to say about all this, seeing as you didn't say much of _anything_ in court."

"If I didn't tell those chumps, what makes you think I'd tell you?" Her raised eyebrow and stern expression had him rolling his eyes and recanting his dismissal a moment later with a forced sounding "Alright, alright, I'll play your little 'Q&A' game."

"Thank you" she said back, trying not to let her irritation seep into the words too much. They were starting to make progress, but she was sure that at any moment, things could go spiraling downhill once again. Deciding she'd better get the ball rolling or risk waiting another ten minutes for him to decide to open up, she asked "So you first met the victim, Kikyo, in the hospital, correct?"

Things were off to a rough start it seemed when he huffed angrily and turned away, his crossed arms tightening over his chest as he ground out "Do ya hafta start with _her_?"

Kagome's brow quirked in confusion as she answered "Well she's the victim in question, isn't she? Her murder is what you're in for. There's really no other place to start."

Inuyasha's growl was not encouraging, but through clenched teeth she heard him grind out "Yeah… that's where we met."

Pulling out a notepad and pen, Kagome poised herself to write before asking the next question. "So what were the circumstances of you two meeting?"

"She was a nurse, I was a patient. End of story."

Looking up from her notes, she saw his jaw set firmly, his stance defensive, and she sat quietly for a moment trying to think of the best way to phrase the next few questions to get him to loosen up more. If he kept up this attitude, they wouldn't get anywhere. "What were you a patient _for_ , exactly?"

He scoffed and replied "Whaddaya think? I'm a half-demon. The whole world hates me: always has, always will. I was a young punk back then, I got into a street-fight with some west-siders, and I lost."

Jotting down his response, Kagome frowned as she thought over his words. A fight so bad it put him in the hospital… all because of his heritage? Squaring her shoulders and sighing angrily, she put down her pen and leaned against her hand, looking over at her reluctant interviewee with sad eyes.

Catching her glance, Inuyasha's eyes suddenly hardened, and he spat out "That better not be 'pity' I see. I don' want no one's pity, y'understand?"

"It's not 'pity'" she said distractedly, trying to imagine this rough and tumble man so vulnerable and hurt. She thought of him out on the streets, alone, getting picked on and beaten up, and her heart constricted at the thought. It wasn't right! "I'm just… sorry you had to go through that. No one should be treated that way."

His eyes widened almost imperceptibly at her words, but he didn't respond.

After a moment Kagome sighed again, tapping her pen absently on the table as she started "So she patched you up, correct?"

"Yes."

'Great' she thought sourly, 'we're back to one-word answers.' "How long were you in the hospital?"

Inuyasha fidgeted nervously in his chair and said "The first time?"

Nodding, Kagome parroted "The first time" and Inuyasha shrugged, saying casually "Couple days."

"You were admitted to the hospital several times after that, correct?"

At the silence following her question, Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha looking away, his face slightly red and expression embarrassed. She sat staring at him for a moment, unable to reconcile the harsh lines of the hardened prisoner with the soft blush on his cheeks. Eventually his gaze wandered back to her, and at her open stare, he bristled, saying loudly "What you starin' at? I got in lots of fights, okay? Kikyo was the only one willin' to patch me up!"

Her startled silence was broken by his return to being aggravated, and she quickly latched onto his comment, asking "So she was kind to you?"

Inuyasha scoffed, slumping in his chair and saying tersely "Yeah, she was kind… as kind as anyone would be to a half-demon anyways." At those words his face softened, and with a sigh he continued "Nah, actually… she was nicer than anyone had ever been. She… she always said that she couldn't abandon someone who had human blood in them."

The tapping of Kagome's pen against the wood slowed to a stop as his words echoed in her mind. _That_ was the nurse's reasoning for helping him? _That_ was the nicest thing anyone had even said to him? Lost in thought, Kagome didn't recognize her odd behavior until an abrupt "What?" cut through her musings, and she looked up to see Inuyasha watching her with offence clearly written across his face.

"Umm… what?" she responded distractedly, still thinking on what he had said.

He all but glared and said crossly "What's with the judgmental look? You think it's so crazy that someone would be willing to help a half-demon?"

Rolling her eyes, Kagome retorted in frustration "Of course not. Haven't I been saying this whole time that you've been mistreated? I just…" she paused, looking into his hurt yellow eyes and trying to think of a way to explain herself without stepping all over the memory of the woman who had shown him kindness. "I don't think your having human blood should be the only reason for someone to help you." She looked away, fiddling with the cuff on her blouse, then forced her eyes to meet his again as she continued "Humans aren't the only lives with value. Even if you were a full-demon, you'd still be worth saving if you got hurt. I just… don't quite agree with her reasoning, is all."

Inuyasha snorted derisively, looking away pointedly as he said "You say that now, but you weren't there. You don't know what it was like for her to even _think_ about helping me in the first place."

"You're right, I wasn't there." She responded in a soft voice, "But she's not the first person to have those kinds of thoughts about demons, and it does her credit that she wanted to help you despite what others thought. Still…."

Her words trailed into silence, and it was only Inuyasha's curious prompting of "still what?" that got her to open her mouth again and add "I don't think your demon blood is anything to be ashamed of."

Inuyasha's face became stern, guarded, and Kagome could see his jaw clenching, but not in anger. He looked to be holding back, and Kagome wondered which emotion he was trying to suppress.

Kagome didn't even register the silence that had fallen over them until a sharp rattling of glass startled them both, and they looked to see the stern-faced guard outside the window hold up three fingers to indicate the time they had left. Frustrated that they'd be forced to cut the meeting short after finally making a bit of progress, Kagome said quickly "Alright, just one more question. And please understand: I have to ask this. When you first met Kikyo… did you know about her inheritance?"

"No." Inuyasha said flatly, his tone dangerously calm, "I didn't know about that damn gem, and it wouldn't have mattered if I did. We barely talked that first time. Besides… she wouldn't have told me then anyways."

There was something buried in his words… some deeper pain that he was glossing over, but Kagome didn't have the time to try and dig it out. Making a quick note of his response and adding a question mark to ask about later, she began to pack up her things. Hiding her confusion and putting on a smile, Kagome looked back at Inuyasha and said brightly "Thank you for your help. I hope next time we'll get a little further, but it all depends on you. Oh!" she paused, remembering her earlier irritation. "And next time you'd better be here _on_ time. They won't let me sit here all day, you know."

His response was the same kind of grin he'd walked into the meeting with, and Kagome was lost as to why he wore such a teasing look, until he opened his mouth and told her "That was just payback for throwin' your smelly rag at my face last time. Don't worry – I won't hold ya up. So when's the next grilling?"

Mouth hanging open in indignation at his childish prank, Kagome could only glare at his fanged smirk, all thoughts of her schedule getting swallowed up in anger. 'Why you little….'

Standing abruptly and shoving her papers into her over-sized briefcase, the young attorney set the convict with a scowl and responded tightly "Expect our next meeting in two days, Inuyasha. If you've got so much time to spare that you can just sit back and twiddle your thumbs on my watch, then you can find the time to answer more questions before the week ends."

"I wasn't 'twiddling my thumbs'" he retorted, not bothering to hide his amusement, "I was lifting weights."

"Whatever" was her clipped retort as she lifted her bag and began to walk away. "Goodbye Inuyasha."

She was barely through the door when she heard him call out "Abyssinia, Doll-face!" and she rolled her eyes at his slangy farewell, thinking absently 'I wonder if he'll ever learn to use my name.'

* * *

"Well well well, looks like the Mutt's got himself a moll."

Inuyasha didn't bother to look up from the sink full of soapy water, though his grip tightened slightly on the ceramic dish in his hand as he scrubbed off a stubborn bit of meal. Bankotsu loved to rile him up, and with his hair-trigger temper, he'd become all too familiar with the punishment of solitary confinement. The human hitman was apparently eager to get the half-demon carted off to the stir again, but Inuyasha was in no rush to go. Not when he had an important meeting only a couple days away.

"Not that he'd know what to do with her though" the former gangster continued with a smirk as he brought in another pile of plates and set them on the messy steel counter, flipping his long braid over his shoulder, "after ten years in the slammer, I'm surprised you even know what a woman is anymore!"

"And why would he need a woman" came a high tenor voice from across the room, "when he's got me here, ready and willing?"

Inuyasha's dark eyes rose to glare daggers at the black-haired man scraping table scraps into the trash, and he fought the urge to wretch as the other prisoner sent him a kiss and a suggestive wink.

"Now now Jackie" Bankotsu said with a laugh, "remember what happened last time you tried to make a pass at the dog. He nearly ripped your hand off!"

With a pouting frown, Jakotsu lifted the offending hand and rubbed ruefully at it, saying with distress "I was so close, too! It took weeks for the bones to reset. And now they're all twisted!" He glanced piteously at his crooked fingers, before his sad expression morphed into a wicked grin and he said "The pain was pretty wild though. Totally worth the effort!"

The two gangster hitmen laughed raucously, and Inuyasha worked faster, trying to get his quota of dishes out of the way so he could escape the verbal torment. He was usually assigned to work in their timeslot, since he was considered too dangerous to be around most humans, but working amongst demons was too dangerous for _him_. The two murderous men had only been in for a couple years or so, and were still full of indignant fire at being incarcerated to begin with. Unfortunately for Inuyasha, he was the perfect target on which to release their frustrations.

"I wonder how such a pretty young thing can stand to work with you" Bankotsu said mockingly, ignoring Jakotsu's shout of "She's not even pretty!" as he continued "I'm surprised she came back at all. Most people keep their distance with freaks like you."

"Except for freaks like me!" Jakotsu said with a grin, earning a laugh from his friend.

"Maybe that's it" Bankotsu continued, approaching Inuyasha slowly. The half-demon had yet to even look at him, but his scrubbing had stopped and he held the plate in a white-knuckled grip. Easing up alongside the half-demon, Bankotsu daringly propped his elbow on Inuyasha's shoulder, leaning in casually as he said "Maybe she's warped like Jakotsu. She'd have to be, to want to talk to a half-breed."

The plate in Inuyasha's grip shattered, the shards falling into the murky water but failing to pierce the half-demon's tough skin. Bankotsu looked on in amusement, saying "Oh, seems I struck a nerve! Are you actually concerned about that broad? Ha!" He laughed, slapping Inuyasha on the back and earning a glare as the white-haired man looked over at him irately. "I had you doped for having some brains, but looks to me I was wrong! Tossed in the jug for seducing and murdering a woman, and here you're at it again, trying to finagle your way out of prison by preying on a crazy woman. If she falls for it, then she really is a sicko."

Bankotsu short laugh became a gurgle as Inuyasha grabbed him by the throat, bringing him close to his face as he snarled out "Shuddup already."

The busting in of a door distracted the half-demon, and Bankotsu tugged away from his loosened grasp as prison guards swarmed into the room, night-sticks raised and ready to beat down the fight. The two men stepped away from each other, one glowering, the other grinning, and the guards lowered their weapons. Rounding on Inuyasha, one of the guards said forcefully "One more slip-up, Mutt, and you can kiss any chance of acquittal goodbye."

Inuyasha's scowl moved from the guard to a triumphant looking Bankotsu, Jakotsu coming to stand beside him with a pleased expression. 'Damn bastards' he muttered in his mind, realizing he'd let them get to him again, 'If they keep me from meeting with Kagome, I'll kill 'em both.'

The guards filed back into the hall, one remaining behind as incentive for the aggravated prisoners to keep their peace, and the men all returned to their chores. Absently fishing out the broken remains of the plate and throwing them into the can beside him, Inuyasha let the world around him fade away and allowed himself to remember. His conversation with the young attorney had brought up a whole hat full of memories he'd been trying to avoid for years. Kikyo's soft smile appeared to him, her long black hair pulled into a neat bun at the nape of her neck and her white nurse's hat perched atop her head. He could see her laughing behind her hand at something he'd said as he lay in his hospital bed, and her feet shuffled on the floor as she sat on the edge of the cot beside him. He'd been happy then, hadn't he? It was as happy as he could remember being, but then he didn't have much for comparison. Her smiling face contorted into one of outrage and betrayal, blood splattered across her cheeks and matting the dark hair that fell over her eyes as she said hoarsely, over and over again "How could you? How could you?!"

His anger resurfaced at the memory; he'd been so incensed and so heartbroken over her words against him that he'd fought and injured the police who came to take him away, and when the moment came for him to defend himself in court, he didn't say a word. He couldn't. What reason did he have to fight back? He couldn't even be angry about his sentence to life imprisonment, because really, what would he be missing out on? His only chance at happiness had slipped bloodily through his fingers. He could still hear Kikyo saying regretfully to him one evening, as she sat beside him but not close enough to touch "If only you were human… I'd gladly sell this dumb necklace, and we could start a life together."

He'd been too full of hope at the time to realize what she'd really said, and after thinking on it for years in his cell, the hurt had morphed into an accepting sense of "what other option was there?" The fact that he'd never be 'human' permanently was the nail in the coffin of his dreams. What other fate was there for him than a life in a jail-cell?

But then that snippy little dark-haired lawyer, who smelled so wonderful and had the brightest smile, goes and says "I don't think your demon blood is anything to be ashamed of" as if it's nothing, as if it's a completely normal way to feel, leaving him a tumultuous mess of thoughts and feelings. Did she really mean that? Was it possible for someone to think like that? He knew his mother had – he'd had her long enough to know how much she loved his father – but she had been the only one. He hadn't thought people like her existed.

Apparently they did, and apparently his lawyer was one of them.

The sharp ring of a bell alerted Inuyasha that his shift was up, and he let himself be shackled and led away with only the smallest of growls, too immersed in his thoughts to have an attitude.

* * *

*Author's Note:

Some term explanations:

moll: girlfriend

Abyssinia: slang for "I'll be seeing you" (I'll be seein' ya)

lettuce: money

glad rags: fancy clothes

and there are about 10 different terms I used for 'jail' or 'prison' so... hopefully you can figure those out cuz I can't remember them all

Anyhow, thank you everyone who has read/reviewed/favorited/followed! It means the world to me! I'm so excited for this story, and although it's gonna kinda unfold slowly, I think it'll be worth the wait!


	3. Ain't Misbehavin'

Dizzy Defense for an Underdog

Chapter 3: Ain't Misbehavin'

* * *

"Miss Kagome! Miss Kagome!"

The pounding of loafers down the short hallway preceded the office assistant's entry like fanfare, the papers in his hand a waving banner as he burst through the door of Kagome's office. "Miss Kagome! Guess what!"

Giving the eager young man an indulgent smile, Kagome responded with an interested "I give up. What is it?"

"We've got a meeting set up to discuss a retrial!" Hojo pointed to the creased letter at the top of the stack, saying exuberantly "And there's authorization for the investigation too!"

Kagome felt excitement welling up inside her too at the news, and jumped from her chair to see the papers for herself. "This is wonderful!" She gave her assistant's hand an appreciative squeeze as she took the papers from him, completely missing the plume of red which overtook his face. "And just in time for me to tell Inuyasha today!"

Hojo fidgeted slightly, twiddling his now empty fingers as he said hesitantly "About that… Miss Kagome, don't you think it would be better if I went for you? I know you want to do the interviews yourself, but… don't you think it'd be… safer?"

Looking up from her eager reading with surprise, Kagome stated "It's not like I'm actually around the prisoners. They're very careful to keep everyone separated. Besides," she smiled, reaching into her coat pocket and pulling out a stack of ofuda, "I'm armed!"

Her assistant gave a hesitant laugh, but the worry didn't leave his eyes. "I- I know… but that's not really… what I meant." He shuffled from one foot to the other, glancing away from her gaze and back as he tried to force himself to meet her eyes. "It's just that… you know…."

Honest confusion took over the young lawyer as she watched him squirm. "Know what?"

"They say… the papers all said… apparently he, uh… _seduced_ that woman… before he killed her."

Kagome's jaw dropped of its own accord, trying to reconcile her kind, blushing assistant and the load of rubbish he'd just spouted. "First of all" Kagome said evenly, masking the anger which wasn't really directed at _him_ , "he _didn't kill anyone_ , remember? He was framed. That's the whole point of organizing this retrial!" She turned away from him to place the documents on her desk, and finished sternly "and he _didn't_ seduce her."

Hojo nodded; he trusted his boss, but he didn't know the same information she did. "You two talked about it?"

She nodded briefly, not quite willing to share her client's personal business, even with her assistant. An amused smile pulled at her lip though, and she said teasingly "Besides, you haven't met him; I can't even picture that jerk _flirting_ let alone _seducing_ someone!"

Looking only slightly more relieved, Hojo said softly "Well, if you say so. But still… be careful, okay? They say demons have some kind of pull over humans. They're good at putting us off-guard."

"He's only _half_ demon, Hojo" she said with irritation, not missing the use of 'them' and 'us' but choosing not to comment. At least Hojo was willing to _work_ with demons, even if he still put up mental walls.

"Sorry boss" Hojo responded sheepishly, nodding and excusing himself from the office.

Kagome waved him off and sat back down with a sigh, grabbing the stack of letters and pouring over them to try and distract her wandering mind. It was a vain effort though. Hojo being worried about her was nothing new: he was a genuinely kind young man, and she suspected he held her in especially high regard. Still… for him to be worried about Inuyasha… _seducing_ her… it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard! With a huff she set down the letters and caught the corner of a familiar manila folder in her peripheral. Her hand reached for the file before she could stop herself, opening the folder to see the snarling mugshot of her convict-client. She glared back at the black and white photograph, as if to tell the half-demon 'I'm not afraid of you'.

Her daring began to falter though as she looked more closely at the photo, seeing things she hadn't before; the angry pinch of his brows and narrow glare hid a deeper agony than he wanted to let on, the sharp glint of the fang beneath his snarling lip threatening harm he knew he couldn't deliver. His white hair was grayed in the photo, scraggly and unkempt, testifying that he had no one to take care of him, and didn't bother to take care of himself. His dog ears stood alert atop his head, boldly declaring what he was… and boldly undermining the threat he was trying to convey. She couldn't help but smile; how could anyone with ears so cute really be so bad?

Eyes falling back to the ones in the photo, Kagome had to admit… his ears weren't the only thing cute about him. Well… perhaps cute wasn't quite the word. Those yellow eyes held startling intensity in person, and even in the photo she could see their inhuman shine. His sharp jaw and strong chin would have been attractive on any face, and in her opinion, his fanged expression only added to the effect. The white of his hair framed his tan skin perfectly, drawing even more attention to his dark lashes and brows. He was so different, but in an undeniably intriguing way.

Just as Kagome felt herself sigh, leaning her cheek on her hand as she looked at him, something in her head snapped back to reality. Wha-what was she doing?! Shaking her head in panic, she shoved the files across the desk, as far away from her as they could be, and slapped a hand to her blushing cheek to try and rub away the red. She only made it worse.

'Maybe Hojo was right' she thought anxiously, 'maybe demons really do have influence on humans'. That thought lasted a mere second before she threw it out with a grimace; the only things influencing her right now were reactive hormones at the sight of a handsome man. 'Honestly!' she thought in exasperation, 'I'm not a teenager anymore!' Still….

She glanced across the desk at the still open file, focusing once more on his mugshot, and bit her lip to suppress a giddy smile.

* * *

"Y-you're serious? On the level?"

Kagome smiled a brilliant smile which not even the glass between them could dampen. "On the level. I'll be meeting with the city judicial council this week!"

Inuyasha was a little more subdued as he said suspiciously "But they could still say 'no', right? It ain't a done deal."

"Well, no, there's a chance they could reject our appeal…" her smile faltered, but with forceful persistence she put it back and said strongly "even if they do, we'd just take it to a higher court."

The prisoner scoffed, his hands linking up behind his head as he reclined in his chair and said flippantly "Good luck with that. The mooks only get worse the higher up ya go."

"Huff all you want, but I think we've got a good shot at this!" Kagome met his side-eye glance with a determined frown, and added eagerly "Even if you're not holding out hope, I am. I've got enough hope in me for both of us."

He smirked a little at that, and she thought she heard a muttered "That's true" as he sat up straighter and looked across the partitioned table at her.

"So, what's on the menu today?"

"Well," she started, hiding a smile at his slangy saying, "I suppose we pick up where we left off last time." Slipping out a small notebook, she flipped through the first couple pages before setting her pen to the paper. Glancing down at her previous notes, she sat up straighter and said in a business-like manner "We discussed your first meeting with the victim, Nurse Kikyo, as well as several of your subsequent visits. How many times did you meet with Kikyo before –"

"Not much written in there."

Kagome froze at the blatant interruption, staring blankly at the convict whose gaze had redirected away from her own. She followed his line of vision to her notebook, slightly weathered and worn but obviously empty. "Wh…what has that got to do with…."

"You never take notes on other chums, or what? Just keep a backlot o' beat up old journals?" His eyes rose to meet hers, and she fumed at the teasing glint in them. The jerk was trying to goad her into an argument! Of all the nerve! What was his problem? She just asked-

The answer hit her like a slap to the face. Of course, he was avoiding the question! But… why? Did he just not want to discuss Kikyo, like last time? Would his answer be incriminating? Or… was he simply embarrassed for her to find out? 'Honestly,' Kagome thought sourly, 'is he 28 or 12? If he can't be mature about this, he'll never get out of here!' Grabbing her pen in both hands and twisting the cap to relieve some growing irritation, Kagome said evenly "This notebook was a gift from my grandfather – for taking over the business. I… haven't had much chance to use it." Kagome looked expectantly back at the half-demon, hoping he'd catch her unspoken deal. She'd answer his question, and in return, he'd answer hers.

It was apparent he'd missed the point entirely however, as he asked abruptly "So why ain't ya used it?"

She nearly snapped her pen in half and hurriedly put it aside; she really didn't want to deal with ink spills on top of aggravating clients. Since when was she the one on trial? "Inuyasha, are we really going to go through this again?" She set him with her sternest glare, but he only raised an amused eyebrow in response.

"What, business slow or somethin'? Or are you just that bad of a lawyer that you have nothin' to write about?"

Kagome's temper snapped as she'd almost done to her pen, anger seeping into her mind faster than the ink she'd managed to salvage. She could feel her face flush and her pulse pick up as she fought to regain control, but when his lip curled up into a smirk, she couldn't hold back any longer. "It's a wonder they accused you of murder" she snapped, her black curls spilling over her shoulders as her hands fisted at her sides, "when it's obvious that your real crime is being an insufferable jerk! The gods help us if you actually open your mouth in front of the judge, because one crack like that and you'll be on the next boat to Siberia!"

Instead of the apology she was hoping for, Inuyasha reacted with a scoff, turning burning eyes on her as he said in a low voice "Oh you think you got me all pegged down, don't ya doll? You see me a few days in a week's time and assume you got all the cards. Well let me tell you somethin' Powder-Puff, you better think again." His posture straightened as he squared his shoulders, reminding Kagome fleetingly how much taller he was than her. Even looking down at her, she could see the straining chords of his neck as he tilted his head slightly, sizing her up like prey. "I ain't no puppy on a leash. You think just 'cause I was framed, I ain't done nothin' wrong. But you forget: I've been in the slammer for ten years now. I've learned a thing or two that would make your pretty ears bleed." His head tilted toward her, his piercing yellow eyes boring holes into hers from beneath a canopy of choppy off-white bangs. Lips pulling up into a sneer, a fang poking over the edge, he said in a deep, husky voice "You don't wanna know what I'm capable of."

Several beats of silence followed that proclamation. A victorious smirk sat on his face for a minute or so, but then it morphed in confusion, then slight surprise, and the lengthening silence was broken by a very irritated "What's your problem?!"

Kagome was sure he could feel the heat from her face through the glass, but she couldn't help it! She _knew_ what he was doing; knew he was trying to intimidate her and scare her away from asking more questions. But despite her head being perfectly clear on that matter, her heart wouldn't stop pounding over those hooded golden eyes and the timbre of his voice. The way his hair brushed along his jaw and how his broad shoulders flexed as he tried to seem so big and imposing…. All he had been doing was acting like a cornered animal, lashing out with a showy display of aggression, and yet he had her in more of a tizzy than any film-star who ever graced a double-feature. Hojo's warning's from earlier in the day rang through her head as she thought back on how alluring he'd looked. 'He seduced her….' Kagome knew in her heart of hearts that the man before her had never intended something so underhanded toward the nurse, but… it wasn't so hard to imagine how the rumor might have come about. At his perturbed outburst she knew she had to say _something_ , just as she knew her smart reply of "W-what?" was not going to cut the mustard this time.

Inuyasha surprised her though by shutting his mouth. He was looking at her closely, suspiciously, and she felt incredibly unsettled under the scrutiny of those yellow eyes. Silence filled the room once again, but this time Kagome found she had nothing to focus on. As her heart settled back to its normal pace, she noticed the ticking in the room that seemed to accompany the steady beat, and she almost jumped as reality struck back and she remembered why she was even there.

"You still haven't answered my question!"

As Inuyasha slumped forward with a groan, dropping his face into clawed hands and gripping handfuls of white, Kagome was hard-pressed not to do the same as she settled in for another session of teeth-pulling.

* * *

Still in a daze as the guard locked him back in his cell, Inuyasha stood in the empty space by the door for a minute or so after the guard left, lost in a sea of very confused thought. What the hell had happened in there? One minute she'd been yelling at him, accusing him of being a jerk, and right when he thinks he's got her on the ropes… she sends out a whole slough of conflicting signals that make his head spin like a top. Her heart rate picked up – not surprising, since he'd been trying to scare her – and there'd been an increased scent of perspiration, which also should have been normal, but… that wasn't fear he smelled back there. He didn't really know _what_ it was, but the heavy blush on her face and her lack of response afterwards made it clear that his intimidation attempt had failed. If only he knew what he'd done… maybe he could use it again. It got her to shut up, that was for sure, and… if he was being perfectly honest with himself (which he didn't like being if he could help it), she had looked kind of… _cute_ like that. 'There she goes bein' a Kitten again' he thought with a smirk, finding that the more he thought on it, the more fitting the name became. Not that he'd ever share that particular moniker with the attorney, but the thought of it was amusing.

Settling onto his cot with an exhausted sigh, Inuyasha thought back briefly to their meeting. He'd been so flustered by her strange reaction that he'd hardly put up a fight when she'd asked him about Kikyo again. He'd gone so far as to tell Kagome how Kikyo had been his first friend, and he'd been hers. He shared what he remembered of Kikyo's own history, how her inheritance had been a wall between her and others, always tainting her relationships with greed. She was never really close to anyone; they only sought her companionship to get them closer to the priceless jewel she wore around her neck. When he'd first met her… he hadn't known about it. When she'd finally told him about her great-great-great Grandmother's heirloom, it had been months into their acquaintance. He wondered sometimes how much of the wait had been her trying to prove his friendship, and how much had simply been distrust; most of the time he tried not to think about it at all.

Kagome had been kind and professional through the remainder of their visit. Her strange slip seemed to have been a fluke, and Inuyasha was grateful for it, because with all the uncomfortably sensitive information he shared, the last thing he wanted was for his emotional attorney to do something… _emotional_. Kikyo had always bridled her emotions, and Inuyasha was unprepared to deal with a female of such opposite nature. _Unpredictable_ was an _understatement_ with her.

They still hadn't reached the point of discussing the other woman's death, and Inuyasha wondered how he'd be able to get around it. He knew it was important information… hell, it would be the lynch-pin of their entire case if he shared his real alibi. But that was just something he could never do. He'd been so painstakingly careful all his life that _no one knew_ , and the thought of someone finally learning of it, after all this time…. He wondered briefly if his silence was worth a life-sentence, but he knew that the freedom gained by breaking his silence would only lead to death. There was no helping it, he'd just have to keep stalling her until she either gave up and left, or….

Glancing down at his pillow, Inuyasha reached out a tentative hand towards it, hesitating before slipping beneath the old cotton cover and pulling out a white handkerchief. Bringing it to his nose for a quick sniff and catching the faint yet lingering traces of her scent, Inuyasha pulled back slightly to trace the embroidered forms of her initials with his eyes. He didn't really want her to go. She was amusing, and someone new to talk with, and she treated him like a somebody instead of two useless halves. Plus, she smelled amazing, and in this pit of sweat and blood that was the prison, he wasn't about to take something like that for granted.

So, he couldn't let her leave, but he couldn't exactly _help_ her unravel all his secrets either. There had to be some way to distract her… to throw her off the scent. His thoughts turned suddenly to one of their recent topics of conversation, and an almost startling realization came over him. In all their meetings, she'd never once asked him if he knew where the jewel was. She'd asked if he had known about it, asked when Kikyo first showed it to him, but she never asked about what had happened to it afterwards. Any lawyer and detective who'd ever bothered to search him out had only wanted to know the jewel's location. They grilled him for any clues about it, and over time he'd come to sympathize with Kikyo's plight. No wonder she'd felt so lonely, when all anyone could see of her was the stone in her possession. Perhaps Kagome was waiting to ask him about. Maybe she just didn't want to come off like the money-grubbing charlatans who'd come before her. But then… any time he or she had mentioned the Shikon jewel heirloom, she'd never shown even the tiniest hint of interest. He shook the thought away; he hadn't known her long, but Inuyasha was sure she couldn't be that good at hiding something. She certainly hadn't done well hiding her reactions to him earlier. So what else could it be? If she didn't think he'd hid it, and she wasn't interested in finding it, then that must mean…. Inuyasha froze as he realized 'She must already have it.'

* * *

*Author's Note:

Yeah wow another chapter! Not sure how it happened, but I've got like 5+ aus that I'm working on now, and so all of them are taking forever to update because I've just started so many projects… but I haven't forgotten about them, and I still love them, so please don't think I'm going to abandon this or any of my other au stories. They're all near and dear to me, and a lot of fun to write (when I actually have inspiration) so please hang in there with me! I'm doing my best! (And I'm not getting paid – just remember that :P)

Thank you so much for the continued support and the reviews and follows and faves and everything! It makes my day and gives me motivation to keep this up!


	4. You Done Me Wrong

~Dizzy Defense for an Underdog~

Chapter Four: You Done Me Wrong

* * *

There was a blanketing tenseness covering their meeting. Inuyasha watched with steely eyes as Kagome fidgeted in her chair, her pen tapping anxiously under the scrutiny. She hadn't said anything since he'd failed to respond to her 'good afternoon', and now both were caught in a stalemate which neither seemed willing to break.

The defense attorney opened her mouth a few times, gaping soundlessly before falling back into confused silence, her eyes darting furtively from the table to Inuyasha's glare. He was more than happy to sit and watch her squirm. He'd had hours upon hours to speculate on her strange behaviors regarding his case, and the doubts had continued to build until he had a whole case of accusations against her. She wouldn't have been able to defend her own hide from his prosecution. But he didn't want to dish it out to her yet. Once he'd had his fill of her… once he was ready to see her leave, he'd pull the plug out from under her dainty feet.

A sharp rap on the glass broke the uncomfortable reverie, drawing the attention of the room's occupants to two waiting figures on the other side of the window. Inuyasha felt a growl building in the back of his throat to see Jakotsu and Bankotsu leering at him and his visitor. Their taunting remarks were lost on Kagome thanks to the glass partitions, but Inuyasha's sensitive ears picked up every word, and his anger grew. "Floozy", "tramp", "lying broad", "she's playing you for a sap"; Inuyasha watched in satisfaction as the laughing prisoners were herded away by a guard, but not before they got in a couple gestures that Inuyasha hoped his attorney wouldn't understand. Turning back to face her, she seemed more confused than offended, and the convict breathed a sigh of relief.

"What was all that about?" She muttered to herself, turning back to ask him "Do you know those men?"

The nervous strain in her voice had him answering before he could remember why he'd been so mad at her before. "Just my neighbors" he said indifferently, noting how her gaze stayed drawn to the room beyond theirs, her posture tense as though she expected them to spring up again. It set him on edge, seeing her so shaken up. For some reason, he didn't like it; she shouldn't have been so worried. Not with him around.

"Look, don't ya got some questions for me?"

Kagome met his angry gaze with a puzzled one, and arching an eyebrow she responded "Yeah, I do. For starters, why not explain why you were ignoring me earlier?" Her expression was stern, and Inuyasha tensed; his anger was quickly evaporating, and now he could only hope she'd drop it. "It was nothing, alright?" he said imploringly, "Just forget it."

"Not likely" Kagome huffed, crossing her arms and tapping her finger in frustration. "You come in here and refuse to talk, wasting valuable time, and then start offering to answer questions as if nothing ever happened? I don't think so, buddy." She leaned towards the glass menacingly, and Inuyasha flinched despite the partition. "Before we get to anything else today, you're going to tell me exactly why you were so mad at me earlier, and for no good reason!"

"No good reason?" Inuyasha mimicked, his previous anger starting to bubble up again, "Oh it was for a _damn_ good reason: the reason that you keep lying to me!"

Kagome looked as affronted as though he'd just slapped her, temper flaring as she shouted back "Lying to you?! About what? I've meant everything I've said about getting you out of here!"

"But why do you want me out?" Inuyasha spat, his earlier doubts and fears festering once again as he looked at her pretty face, too pretty and too kind to be real, to be genuine. "Admit it: you only want me outta here so's I'll tell you more about Kikyo's jewel."

He'd expected her to look upset, offended, maybe even guilty that she'd been deceiving him. He wasn't expecting more confusion.

"Why would I be worried about the Shikon Jewel?" She asked casually, as if he were being ridiculous about the whole thing. Her reaction made him confused, then frustrated, then even angrier. "You wouldn't" He shouted, slamming his hands on the table, "because you already got it! But it ain't enough, is it doll-face? No, you can't just sell that thing – without the missing ingredient, it's nothin' but a marble. You can't figure it out, so you been tryna squeeze me for dirt on it; you want me to spill all Kikyo's secrets on the damn thing so you can take what's hers and make a mint!" Her innocent wide eyes burned his heart, making him wish she'd never shown up at all. He'd been starting to believe in her, and even now she was playing him, just like Bankotsu had said; playing him with those big brown eyes and rosy cheeks. "So if that's all you're here for, you can forget about the retrial."

Arms crossed, head bowed, he glared at her beneath dirty bangs and waited for the stammering, the huffing, the dismissals and lies. But she only smiled at him, soft and sweet, and all of his walls crumbled, leaving him vulnerable and hurt. "Well you're lucky that's not why I'm here" she said, folding her hands on the table before her in an almost pleading way as she continued kindly "I thought you already knew, but it seems that no one told you. The jewel turned up at Kikyo's funeral; a relative somehow found it, brought it, and she was buried with it."

Inuyasha was stunned into speechlessness, and Kagome frowned at his reaction. "I suppose even after it turned up, no one bothered to weigh it as evidence in your favor, did they?" At her sympathetic look, Inuyasha grit his teeth, swallowing, and then said hesitantly "So why's everyone been aksin' me about it all these years?"

Fingers tapping nervously, Kagome was quiet for a moment before answering "Probably because… only a year or so after her death… someone robbed her grave. The jewel's gone now. Maybe they think you orchestrated it or something, but the fact remains that no one knows where it is now."

Inuyasha felt a weight settle on his heart. He hadn't thought very fondly of Kikyo in all the years he'd been incarcerated, but to think of her grave being robbed… of some low-life scum desecrating the final resting place of the woman he once…. His fists clenched, claws biting into his palms, and distantly over the sound of blood pumping in his ears, he heard Kagome say softly "I'm sorry. I thought you knew."

He looked up at her, seeing genuine concern and empathy swimming in her chocolate eyes, and his rage calmed. "No one woulda bothered to tell me" he rasped, and she nodded understandingly.

"It's alright if you want to call it a day" she said softly, catching his angry eyes and holding them, "I know that's a lot to process, and I understand if you need time to… grieve."

"I ain't a porcelain doll" he said gruffly, but he noticed that she smiled in response.

"I never would have guessed" she quipped, turning in her chair slightly to leave.

But Inuyasha wasn't ready to see her go – not yet. Realizing she wasn't the villain he'd been painting her as, he wanted her company for as long as he could get it. Her words had taken a weight off his shoulders and she was the only thing keeping him grounded. "Wait!" She looked just as surprised as he did by the outburst, and for a moment he floundered, unsure of what he could say to keep her. His thoughts turned back to an old stand-by, a question he found himself pondering over for long hours, day and night, and he found it spilling from his lips before he could stop it. "Why you wastin' your time on a halfbreed like me?"

She rolled her eyes, sighing as though he were some pestering kid. "I've told you before Inuyasha, you've been unjustly imprisoned, and I mean to get you out! Besides, didn't I already say that there's nothing wrong with you being half-demon?"

"But how? How can you say that?" He didn't need to add the thought 'how can you believe that?'

She sat regarding him quietly, her arms crossed, and then said "Put out your hand."

His eyebrows shot up at the strange request, but she only repeated herself more firmly. "Put your hand up to the glass, like this." Her own hand rose to the partition, her palm lying flat against it. He stared at it for a moment, and slowly, hesitantly, brought his own hand up to cover hers.

Her smile was pure as gold as she explained "Not so very different, are they? You have hands, I have hands. We each have five fingers, we each have palms. We each have fingerprints that mark who we are."

Inuyasha found himself lost in a sea of thoughts as he stared at the small hand on the other side of the glass. He could have folded his fingers over hers, if only the wall wasn't blocking him. She was so much smaller than he was. A streak of protectiveness sped through his blood, but he tampered it down quickly. He was being ridiculous. "I still have claws" he said brusquely, removing his hand from the glass, bringing it under the table and rubbing at it firmly as a strange sensation tingled through his fingers, as though he could remember her touch. He wondered what her skin felt like. "And not all demons can take human form, y'know."

Kagome only grinned at his moody response though, and said "Well then I guess that just makes you special."

There was nothing he could say to that; no argument he could form to tell her she was wrong. If she wanted to believe he was special, well… he sure wasn't about to stop her.

"I won't keep you longer. If there's anything else you need, or any questions you have, just let me know."

"There is one thing…" he said quickly, and Kagome paused before getting up, leaning over eagerly to listen. Her helpful attitude stung; he couldn't believe he'd ever doubted her sincerity. "Find the bastard who did it" he told her, his voice low and serious, "Find the one who filched Kikyo's grave and send him here. The slammer's too good for scum like that, but I ain't gonna ask you to kill anyone."

"I'm glad", she said amusedly. "But who knows! A lot of people admired Kikyo – a jury may just grant your wish!"

He looked back at her with a smirk, and noticed a bit of color seeping onto her cheeks as she quickly looked away. "That's all for today then" she said, gathering up her things, not bothering to ask his leave, "I'll have someone look into the jewel; in the meantime, I've got to prepare to meet with the Judges to discuss your retrial!" Standing up, she turned to look back at him, tucking a curly lock of midnight hair behind her ear and making the breath catch in his throat as she continued softly "Wish me luck." He swallowed hard and nodded, hoping she wouldn't catch his reaction, but luckily she turned away, rambling on "When I come back in a couple days, we'll go over your alibi. I know it's been a while, but take your time and really think things over; I'm certain that between the two of us, we'll find just what we need to prove your innocence!" She smiled at him once more before seeing herself out. Inuyasha craned his neck to watch her go, cursing as the metal and glass partition blocked his view. He could still hear the click of her kitten heels retreating down the hallway beyond, and he took one more deep breath of her scent before his guard came in to cuff him and lead him away.

* * *

"A detective?"

"Yup! Find me all the listings you can." Kagome didn't spare her assistant a second glance as she sat down again with Inuyasha's files, pouring over them and jotting down important notes as she prepared her appeal. Hojo stood fidgeting a moment more, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he watched his distracted boss. After a minute of inactivity, Kagome turned her attention back to him, raising an eyebrow and prompting him to open his mouth and blurt "Wouldn't it be easier just to get the police detective?"

"Easier, maybe" she responded, looking away only to have her glance fall on Inuyasha's mugshot. She blushed and looked away hurriedly. "But that'd hardly be fair to Inuyasha. I need someone who can look at this objectively; find me someone who works with demons, if you can. We're going to need to look at this from all angles; I don't want anything getting glossed over… not this time."

She turned back to her work with a vengeance, and Hojo quickly excused himself to begin his search. He didn't quite understand her reasoning, but if she wanted a private detective, he'd find one. And if she wanted one who worked with demons, well… he'd do his best.

Getting back to the reception room, full of cabinets and overflowing shelves, Hojo took a deep breath and squared his shoulders before diving in. Figuring a phone directory wouldn't be the best bet for finding a reclusive detective, he began rifling through the Older Higurashi's store of paperwork. The old man had kept everything, from newspaper clippings to receipts, and it appeared that he'd never bothered to sort through them. Hojo checked every drawer and cupboard, eventually finding a box of cards covered in sloppy handwriting. The sight of numbers brought a triumphant smile to the young assistant as he realized he'd found just what he needed. Setting the box on his desk, he poured through its contents, praying to find some system of organization. Unfortunately, the only thing the cards had in common was that they were severely lacking in useful information. At the end of two hours, Hojo managed to assemble a meager stack of what he hoped were numbers for private detectives – he could only guess that the scribbled letters 'PD' in the upper right-hand corners didn't stand for something else entirely.

Steeling himself for an awkward conversation, Hojo dialed in the numbers on the first card, only to be met with an operator telling him the number was no longer in use. Several more cards met the trashcan this way. A few dozen cards later of no good numbers and agencies who refused to work with demons, Hojo was ready to throw in the towel. Surely once he told Kagome that there was no one else, she'd take the smart route and work with the police. He rifled through the few remaining cards, hoping to see duds that he could throw out, but there was simply no way of knowing until he tried. And he had to try, no matter how uncomfortable; Kagome was counting on him.

With a heavy sigh he picked up a worn card and turned the dial until a bell on the other end began to ring. And ring. And… ring. He wasn't sure how long he sat on the phone, waiting for the other end to pick up, but he stuck it out, determined to make this one count. Hojo jumped slightly when finally the ringing stopped, and a sleepy, slurring voice answered on the other end "H'llo?"

"Good afternoon! I'm calling from the Higurashi Law Offices for a Miyatsu, Private Detective?"

There was a long, heavy sigh on the other end, and Hojo waited patiently until the voice finally, answered in aggravation "You won't find Miyatsu here. His grandson's taken over the business."

"Oh!" Hojo clutched the ear piece to the phone anxiously, hoping beyond hope that this would be the end of his search. "Then his grandson is a Private Detective?"

"He is…" the man on the other end answered slowly, almost cautiously, "but he's extremely busy. It would be difficult for him to take on another client at this time."

"Is there any way I could speak to him?" Hojo didn't bother to hide his pleading tone, hoping he might gain some sympathy from the Private Detective's assumed secretary. He was far past the point of pride.

"… He's out" was the only reply however, and Hojo feared that the short reply meant the conversation was over. "This case is a very important one!" he said quickly, not at all believing his own lie, "It should bring in a lot of money. Your firm would be well paid."

"What's the catch?" the man answered quickly, and poor Hojo was so caught off guard that he immediately answered "It's a retrial for a half-demon."

A long whistle on the other end told Hojo just how far he'd stuck his foot in his mouth, and he cringed as the other man responded, voicing his own fears "You're extremely unlikely to win that, you know."

"I know, I know!" Hojo grumbled, one hand pulling at his hair while the other clutched the phone, "but my boss is determined on this one! She's been trying everything in the books to get –"

"She?"

Hojo almost missed the voice on the other end as it cut through his mid-sentence, but once he'd registered what was asked, he felt obliged to explain. It _was_ rather unusual for a woman to own a law firm, and he wanted to make sure that this person understood just how smart and respectable Kagome was. "Yes, the granddaughter of the owner. She's extremelly talented, and has worked so hard for this. It's her first big case you see, and she's very anxious for everything to go well. This is really important to her, and she'd be so grateful for any sort of help you could –"

"Oh well, would you look at that! It seems the boss will be able to pencil you in after all! Who is it I – I mean, _he'd_ be meeting with?"

"Uh, Miss Kagome Higurashi."

" _Miss_ Kagome… lovely name. Alright, just send me the address and I'll come by at my earliest convenience."

Hojo stumbled over the address and number as the mystery man on the other end thanked him again and hung up. He sat staring at the phone a minute more, the strange conversation running through his head and a little voice nagging him with the thought that they should have just gone through the police.

* * *

*Author's Note:

Next Time: The introduction of a new character, and the emergence of a little green-eyed monster known as jealousy.

(Also... sorry this took so long. It's not abandoned, rest assured, I just had a bad summer where I had zero inspiration for writing)


	5. I Ain't Got Nobody

~Dizzy Defense for an Underdog~

Chapter Five: I Ain't Got Nobody

* * *

Clawed fingers fidgeted as they tried not to tap on the partition table. Inuyasha had hardly waited five minutes for her to arrive, and already it was too long. Their last meeting had effectively silenced all those fears lurking in his injured heart, and he couldn't deny it: he was excited to see her. Not even the prospect of discussing his alibi could throw his mood. If he were to be honest… he was starting to consider telling her the truth; sharing his deepest, most fiercely guarded secret. It scared him, this need to divulge to her, but it was there and it was real and he couldn't deny it. He wasn't sure what it was about her, but something in her smile and her shining eyes made him feel safe. For the first time in his life… he was beginning to really trust someone.

A scent hit his nose, making it twitch, and a toothy grin spread across the convict's face as he realized his lawyer was approaching. Taking a deep whiff, he leaned back with a sigh, savoring the uniquely sunny scent. His happy grin fell sharply though as his nose picked up on another scent: she wasn't alone. Some other smell wafted behind hers, carrying the sickly sweet tang of alcohol and the acrid reek of cologne. This wasn't the scent of a guard, it was an outsider. A _man_.

An unpleasant sensation roiled in his gut, his chest tightening as the scents came closer. Had she brought an assistant? Was it a city official? He didn't like the idea of being under anyone else's scrutiny; it was bad enough being under constant prison surveillance. Their visits were the only time he had to unwind, to feel at ease. He was in no mood to give that up. His arms crossed and a scowl settled on his face at the unfairness of it all, and it was with that angry attitude that he greeted Kagome and her visitor.

She entered the room with her usual smile, her posture eager, her eyes darting back in anxious excitement to the man following after her. She was practically jumping up and down with enthusiasm… all because of this _stranger_. Inuyasha's eyes pinched in a glare, his lip pulling back in a snarl as he eyed the man calmly receiving his lawyer's attention – and he didn't like what he saw. His smile was too easy, his suit too sharp. He radiated confidence and suave, gentlemanly charm. His eyes were piercing blue, but his gaze was calculating and alert, silently sizing up Inuyasha as the two men matched looks. Seeing something hidden behind the easy smile, Inuyasha made a snap deduction: whoever this man was, he couldn't be trusted.

Kagome's voice cut through his thoughts like a knife, and he shook himself to see her watching him expectantly. He'd missed what she said, but could only guess it had been a greeting. Meeting her gaze, he waited for her to speak again, all the while wondering why she'd brought such a shady character to their private meeting.

"I said how are you doing?" She sat in her usual chair and smiled widely at him, calming his ire and prompting a slight smirk as he answered gruffly "same ol', same ol'."

"I'd like you to meet someone" she continued eagerly, turning to the man still standing behind her, "This is Miroku, a Private Detective. I've hired him to help with your case!"

Inuyasha's lips pursed. He was somewhat surprised that she'd hired a private detective instead of going through the police, and he couldn't help being impressed with her decision; a private detective would be more likely to give him a fair shot than one appointed by the city. And being a private detective explained why the man seemed so shifty. He wasn't _meant_ to be trusted.

"Inuyasha, is it?" Miroku said casually, removing his suit coat and dropping easily to a neighboring chair, "I've heard so much about you from Miss Kagome. I hope I can be of service to the both of you." His eyes lingered a little too long on Kagome's oblivious form, and Inuyasha felt a growl building in his throat.

"Nice to meet you" he sneered, his anger growing at the amusement on the detective's face, "now hit the road so I can talk to my lawyer."

"Inuyasha," Kagome said exasperatedly, "I brought him here to help you, and he can't do that if he doesn't talk to you first!"

Leaning back with a petulant frown, Inuyasha mumbled "It ain't none o' his business."

"Inuyasha, please!" She hissed, leaning forward to whisper "I can't do this all on my own! I'm going to need his help, and for him to help _me_ , _you_ need to help _him_!"

Her earnest expression and big, round eyes did him in, and with a sigh he slumped in his chair and said in defeat "Five minutes, and that's it. Anything else he needs to know, you can tell him yourself."

Inuyasha figured her pretty smile was worth five minutes of torture, but he couldn't help pouting a little as she rose to hand her chair over to the PI. He turned to glare at the man commandeering his time, only to see Miroku already watching him with a calculating expression. Before Inuyasha could make heads or tails of it, the detective had side-stepped the chair to place a familiar hand around Kagome's shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. Kagome's expression became flushed as Miroku drew her in closer, leaning in to croon "Don't worry about us, doll. I'm sure we'll get on fine."

Despite the loud protests of 'LIKE HELL WE WILL' racing through his head, Inuyasha kept silent as Kagome swallowed nervously and responded "Yes, well, I'll just be waiting for the both of you in the hallway. L-let me know when you're done."

The arm around her shoulders tightened, and Inuyasha was sure he saw red as the detective's other hand rose to the young lawyer's face, a gloved finger tracing her chin. Sputtering indignantly as the PI nudged her face to look up into his, ignoring the cute way her cheek smushed with the move, Inuyasha was helpless to do anything but watch as Miroku said suavely, "I won't make you wait long, doll. Maybe later, you and I can do a little acquainting of our own. Whaddaya say?"

He was on his feet before he knew what was happening, the heavy growl he'd been holding back escaping in an outraged cry of "GET YOUR MITTS OFF HER!"

Two sets of human eyes turned to stare at him as he stood huffing and puffing, the room silent except for his racing heart which he hoped beyond hope they couldn't hear. Kagome stared at him with a shocked expression which he couldn't decipher; Miroku was watching with something bordering on satisfaction. He didn't know what the creep was up to, but something told him he'd just been played for a sap.

Confident smile still in place, Miroku let the girl free of his half-hug, and without a moment's hesitation, Kagome bolted from the room in a flurry of black curls. Inuyasha stared after her for a moment more before dropping limply to his waiting chair, eyes unfocused as he thought back on the scene he'd just caused. He… he hadn't meant to say anything. What… what did he care if the detective tried putting the moves on her? What did he care if it flustered her, if she was affected by it? It wasn't any of his business, or his concern.

Still, he couldn't help glaring daggers at the man sitting so casually across the glass from him.

"So tell me" the detective began, tugging at his glove with disinterest, "are you always so protective of girls you hardly know?"

Inuyasha grit his teeth. "Only when creeps like you come buzzin' round."

"Quite noble for a man in prison. Especially one with such a background!" Slipping a folder onto the table, he opened to a page of cramped type, scanning the paper with a gloved finger. "Your files paint you as more the 'scoundrel', y'know?" He looked up to give Inuyasha a conspiratorial grin, but the half-demon only growled.

"I don't give a damn what those chumps gotta say about me. If you wanna know what happened, talk to Kagome."

"Kagome? So, you're on a 'first-name basis' with our lovely lawyer, are you?" Miroku chuckled in an infuriating sort of way, ignoring the simmering convict across the glass. "You work faster than I do!"

Slamming a fist onto the table, Inuyasha said harshly "Listen here, you flatfoot, you got no business comin' here wastin' my time with your stupid comments. Either cut to the chase, or get the hell out."

Miroku looked thoughtful, as if weighing his options, then turned his piercing eyes on Inuyasha. "Tell me, do you have any family?"

Startled silence met the question.

"I know you were orphaned at an early age" the PI continued, "but surely you have other relations who eagerly await your release."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, his whole body tensed in anger as he responded shortly "No", his mind raging with thoughts of the one relative he had on the outside. He wasn't any more eager to see his brother than his brother was to see him.

"You must have had friends though. Perhaps fellow orphans? You were incarcerated at 18, but that was still plenty of time to have –"

"I ain't got nobody" Inuyasha snapped. His claws threatened to tear into his jumpsuit as he sat with arms crossed; the detective's assumptions were only serving to remind him of the crappy state his life was in, and he hoped the man would just put a sock in it already.

"Not since Kikyo, anyways." Miroku was hardly fazed as Inuyasha rose from his chair, seething, his face nearly pressed into the glass as he stared the other man down.

"Keep yer drunk nose outta my business. Ain't nobody asked you for an opinion!"

As casually as if he were discussing the weather, Miroku plowed on "You know, for a lawyer, Miss Higurashi is surprisingly easy to talk to."

Inuyasha's head whirled with the sudden change of topic, but he didn't like it much more than the last. His ire only grew as the detective continued to praise the absent young woman.

"So lovely and feminine, and yet she has this presence…. It's easy to see how she could shake a jury! With that midnight hair – it's nice and soft too from what I could feel. And those eyes! A fella could get lost in those eyes, especially up close, when she gives you that smile… would be somethin' to see in the moonlight, don't you think? And boy, does that girl have some curves I'd like to-"

A boiling growl cut off the detective's musings. Inuyasha could feel the blood pounding in his veins, his fingers flexing as he fought off the urge to tear something apart. The only thing holding him back was the thought that if he destroyed more prison property, it would be off to the meat-locker and he'd never get his time to talk with Kagome. Some of his anger cooled into satisfaction though as he caught the first hints of unease on the PI's face.

"Your five minutes are up, pal" he said levelly, dropping to his chair and trying in vain to copy the other man's cool demeanor. "And I think I've had all the help from you I can take. Now scram."

"One more thing, Inuyasha." And the suave attitude was replaced by steely determination as suddenly Miroku dropped his façade. "I'm not as thick as you think. You say you want outta here, but there's nothing for you on the other side, and you know that well as I do. And I know you know that, or you wouldn't be making things so difficult. You're not acting like a man who wants his freedom. So you say you got no one waiting, well, it may not always be that way. You're careless, and that's what got you in here in the first place. You may have been able to handle it these past ten years, but keep goin' the rate you are, and you won't be able to last another month."

"What're you on about?" Inuyasha snapped, even as uneasiness brooded in his chest.

"What I'm saying," Miroku continued, earnestness seeping into his voice, "Is that if you ever want to run your fingers through those midnight curls, if you ever wanna see what those eyes look like in the moonlight, if you wonder at all what those curves would feel like in your arms, you'll wise up and start helping us get you out of here."

It was as if the man's hand had seized his windpipe; he couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, couldn't form a thought beyond the swirl of images now rushing through his mind. Kagome's friendly smile, her curled hair blowing in the breeze, the moon reflecting in those dark eyes as she stepped closer, right up to him, no bars or windows in the way and no hesitations….

"Looks like we finally understand each other."

Startled from his unexpected daydream, Inuyasha stared across at the black-haired man. Miroku's easy smile was a little different now, a little more genuine, and not quite as annoying as it had been before.

Inuyasha swallowed, unsure of what to say, but finally settled on a weak-sounding "I don't know what you're talking about."

He could tell from Miroku's expression that he'd understood what Inuyasha really meant.

Miroku went to fetch Kagome from the hall, her eyes smiling as she noticed Inuyasha's improved mood upon her return. She took the seat across from him, not noticing until Miroku pointedly cleared his throat that she was hogging the space in front of their client. She scooted to the side with a flustered "Sorry" and Inuyasha couldn't hide an affectionate smile as he watched. Kagome glanced back at him before he could hide it, and her responding laugh had him blushing and fidgeting like a shy little kid.

"I know your time is valuable" Miroku cut in, and Inuyasha was almost grateful to the creep for the distraction, "but there are a few things I'd like to clear up with this meeting." He pulled a small notepad and fountain pen from his coat pocket, licking the tip before setting it to the paper. Kagome quickly followed suit, pulling her empty notebook from her bag and fumbling for her own pen. "For starters, you're still without an alibi."

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome, who gave him an encouraging smile. Despite her support, he felt his early courageous notions of disclosure slipping away. He'd been ready to tell Kagome, and even though he didn't hate Miroku quite as much as he had at first, that didn't mean he was ready to share his secret with the guy.

"I wasn't there when it happened." Inuyasha said firmly, his posture stiff. "It's as simple as that."

"Do you have any witnesses to back that up?"

"….. No."

"Then it's not simple at all." Miroku sighed, shuffling through the stack of file papers once more. "The problem is, you had arranged to meet with Kikyo the night of the incident, correct?"

"Yeah…" Inuyasha responded hesitantly, "but I never made it there."

"But she was found in the morning. _You_ found her in the morning. So where were you the rest of the night?"

Inuyasha hunched defensively, his voice full of mistrust as he shot back "I chickened out, okay? Geez, I thought you were batting for _me_ , not the other guys!"

"I'm only trying to prepare you for what you'll face in court" Miroku responded with his usual cool, "They're going to want answers and you need to be ready to provide them."

"I thought 'finding the answers' was your job! Quit 'lawyerin' and start workin'!"

The detective merely waved off Inuyasha's anger, turning to Kagome to say politely "My apologies for being presumptuous."

"S'okay…" she mumbled softly, but Miroku had moved on to address the half-demon. "I can't start finding anything without some leads, and I need your help for that. So tell me: what _were_ you doing the night that Kikyo was murdered?"

It wasn't difficult for Inuyasha to evade this time; a question had been simmering in the back of his mind, and now it burned him with its urgency. "I been thinkin'…" he started, puzzling the detective who'd been expecting a straight answer, "how'd you know I was planning to meet Kikyo?"

He would have laughed at the slack-jawed PI, had he not been so dead set on getting an answer.

"I…. what?"

"I said how'd you know we was plannin' to meet up?"

Miroku floundered for a moment, before gesturing blankly to the folder full of papers. "It says so in your file. It was part of how they convicted you in the first place."

"And where'd they get that info?" Inuyasha's bright gaze flickered over to Kagome; she'd been somewhat subdued after Miroku's comment to her, but seemed to be back in the conversation, her eyes alight with thought. "Kikyo couldn'ta told 'em – she died just as the coppers got to us. She was… all she did was yell… all she said was that I'd betrayed her. That was it…." Refocusing his gaze, he turned back to the detective, his voice firm as he added "And I didn't say a word to nobody. So who told 'em?"

It was like fog clearing as Miroku looked back at the half-demon, the pieces falling into place in his mind, revealing just what shapes still needed filling. "Who indeed? And how'd they know to start with?" With renewed fervor he turned back to the files, fanning them across the desk and mumbling slightly as he searched each page. He laughed victoriously as a yellowed paper was pulled from the stack, and soon he was lost behind it as he read every line. Inuyasha shared a confused look with Kagome, who shrugged and sat back, a tiny sigh escaping her lips. He noticed her reaction with curiosity, but didn't say anything.

"HA! Here it is!"

Startling the other two back to attention, Miroku held the page up for them to see, but the typed print was far too small and cramped for them to make much of anything from it. Noticing the blank looks of his audience, Miroku explained "This is a copy of the police report from the crime scene, with notes from the team who got there first." Laying it back down on the table, his gloved finger traced under a few lines specifically, and he went on "The basic story is that just before sunrise, the patients in that wing of the hospital were alarmed by the sound of screaming, and someone phoned the police station. Inuyasha, you were there at the scene once the police arrived, and I'm sorry to say, in a very incriminating state, but they carted you off pretty quick, and a few policemen stayed behind to secure the scene and gather evidence."

"I already know all this" Inuyasha groused; he'd been hoping the PI had found something useful, and his patience was waning with that hope.

"But what you don't know" Miroku continued with a smile, "Is that one of the patients stayed behind to give the cops his own first-hand account of what happened." He turned back to the page, scanning further down and moving on to the next one, while Inuyasha sat in stunned silence.

"But…" he started, his mind whirling with the news, "But I thought no one had seen-"

"He didn't see what happened, no" Miroku answered quickly, still looking down at the page, "But from what he told the police, he'd heard the two of you talking the previous night, planning to meet up the next evening. The evening you apparently chickened out on."

Something about the story felt off – there was a nagging thought, just out of reach, gnawing at the back of Inuyasha's mind as he tried to sort things out. Wouldn't he have known that he and Kikyo were being watched? Wouldn't he have sensed or heard or smelt if there was someone lurking about? Although… if this man were a patient, Inuyasha probably hadn't paid him any mind.

"How did he know it was me talking to her?" Inuyasha asked at length, "How'd he know enough to give the coppers somethin' against me?"

Miroku hummed thoughtfully, still searching the account, and said distractedly "I don't know if he knew it was you at first, but apparently he recognized your voice when you were found with Kikyo the next morning."

"But that's hardly substantial" Kagome interjected suddenly, her voice full of indignant fire, "He could have easily misheard and misidentified Inuyasha! That's nothing to build a case on!"

"He certainly had a lot to say on the matter" Miroku mused, flipping through the pages once more before looking back at Kagome and Inuyasha with a sobered expression. "Apparently he also told them you'd been with her most of the night. He couldn't say exactly what was discussed, but there was apparently some activity right before the attack."

Inuyasha's expression turned sour, and with a huff he asked "What exactly was supposed to have happened? What were we doing all night that woulda lead to me killin' her?"

The look Miroku gave him was entirely too patronizing, and Inuyasha steeled his glare in response. "Well," the detective started, his voice slow with nervous hesitation, "the man claims to have overheard 'advances' you made on Miss Kikyo, and that she clearly refused you." Tapping his pen against the table, Miroku took a deep breath and said "He says you assaulted Kikyo, and when she fought back, you killed her out of anger. Thing is, her body _did_ show extensive bruising and claw marks."

He heard Kagome's gasp before anything else, and panic seized him. Not at the accusation: he'd heard it before and it was just as impossible now as it had been then. But the thought that Kagome might start to doubt him, might look at him differently after hearing that lie… it terrified him.

"Whoever the mook was, he was lying through his teeth. I never touched Kikyo, and that's a fact."

"Well of course" Kagome interjected, prompting a flicker of hope to spring up inside the convict, "I mean, having such an elaborate lie makes this man highly suspicious! What's his name?"

"Onigumo, I believe" Miroku said, nudging the page across the table to her. She skimmed it, then nodded resolutely and said "Miroku, I want you to find this 'Onigumo' person. Get me his court testimony, his address, anything you can find!"

"Love to, Doll" Miroku responded, a shallow smile on his lips, "but he died a week after the incident. He never testified in court."

A heavy silence fell over the group, their budding elation stomped as their lead shriveled to dust.

"The information was relegated to 'hear-say'" Miroku continued, "otherwise it probably woulda got Inuyasha the chair."

"Well I ain't gonna thank him for it" Inuyasha groused. "This guy is soundin' more like the culprit by the second."

Miroku shook his head though, pulling out another page and waving it before the glass as he said "Not likely. According to the report, this man was completely bed-ridden. He'd been caught in a warehouse fire, and suffered extensive burns. He could still hear, speak, and see out of one eye, but his limbs were useless." He pulled the paper back, filing it with the others and sighing heavily. "Sorry pal."

"Now wait" Kagome said softly, and Miroku stopped in his packing to meet her brown-eyed gaze. "I still don't buy all this. Even if he is dead there's gotta be some record of him somewhere. Find it. I don't care what it takes, I don't care how much it costs, find out whatever you can about this Onigumo person and bring it to me within a week. Got it? You start immediately."

He couldn't do anything but nod, her fierce gaze demanding his compliance. Inuyasha watched with subtle admiration as the detective obediently jotted down some more notes, gathered his things and excused himself to get started on the hunt. The minute he shut the door, Kagome slumped in her seat with an exhausted exhalation.

"What's got you beat?" he asked with amusement, glad to finally have her to himself.

She didn't answer at first, drawing idly on the margins of her notebook. She'd taken a few notes, but nothing as thorough as Miroku. "You're right" she said in a thin voice, "What reason do I have to be tired? It's not like I did anything useful today."

Baffled by her melancholy mood, Inuyasha searched his brain for something to say. Comforting others wasn't a natural gift of his, and the best he could offer was a half-hearted attempt at humor. "I dunno, you sent the lech runnin' with his tail between his legs!"

"Yeah, I sent him off to do more of the work I should be doing." Her mood was only heading south, and Inuyasha felt as lost as ever.

"What're ya talkin' about?" Trying to meet her eyes through the partition, he added "Lookin' for clues is his job, not yours!"

"And preparing you for court is supposed to be _my_ job, not _his_." Her brows furrowed as she glared down at her notebook, the page now covered in more scribbles than writing. "I'm supposed to be coaching you how to respond and finding loopholes in the prosecution, not him. It's my job to map out your case and arm you with a solid defense. But still I never realized that there were suspects lying right under my nose, right there in your file!" With a groan her head fell to the table, her waves of hair cascading down to form a hideaway. Inuyasha had the sudden urge to reach out and brush those curls away, to hook a finger under her chin until he could see those shining eyes again and bring that smile back. Once more he cursed the glass between them.

"You ain't been that bad" he said with a smirk, but when she failed to react to his teasing, he was back to a frown. Tapping on the glass with a sharp claw, he began in a more serious voice "C'mon, you can't beat yourself up over this! So the flatfoot beat ya to a couple points, so what? He ain't my lawyer, and I wouldn't want him if he paid me! He's a sneak, it's probably in his blood to be quick on his feet. But I know for a fact he never woulda taken a chance on me… like you did."

He waited with bated breath, and finally Kagome stirred, sitting back in her chair with her hands in her lap. She still couldn't meet his eye.

"You're the one who got the ball rollin' on all this. If it weren't for you, there wouldn't even be a case, and we wouldn't be chasin' a suspect right now. You gotta give yourself more credit, Kagome."

Her head shot up so fast it seemed to startle them both. They sat in a silence full of thoughts and a nervous sort of energy. It was almost crushing and Inuyasha felt the need to break it.

"W-what? What'd I say?"

Kagome shook her head though, a quick "Nothing!" popping past her lips, but Inuyasha noticed that the corners turned up in a bright smile, and he let it slide. Whatever had happened, at least she was happy again.

"Was there anything else you wanted to talk about today?" She asked brightly, and her shining, trusting eyes brought back his thoughts from that morning. He still wanted to tell her, sure that if anyone would keep his secret safe, it would be this woman, but it was a big step, a giant leap forward in his journey of trust, and he found himself shrinking at the prospect.

"Next time" he said with a shrug, "You've got enough to work with for one day."

"I guess so" she said softly, packing up her own things and standing to leave. Brushing back a tuft of hair from her shoulder, she gave him a sweet smile and said "See you later, Inuyasha."

"Yeah… see ya, Kagome."

The blinding smile lit her face again, but she hurried out of the room before he could ask the reason.

* * *

*Author's Note:

Yikes it's been a while. Sorry. This is not abandoned, I swear.

NEXT TIME: Will Inuyasha finally share his real alibi? And what will Miroku's search for Onigumo turn up? These answers and more fluff coming (hopefully) soon!


	6. A Kiss to Build a Dream On

~Dizzy Defense for an Underdog~

Chapter Six: A Kiss to Build a Dream On

* * *

Inuyasha awoke snarling, the harsh ring of metal on metal resounding in his flattened ears as it bounced around his prison cell. He could hear the whining voice of his prison guard rising up in cacophony with the beating nightstick, saying something about getting up to see a visitor, but ignored the clamor and let his head fall back to his pillow with a groan. His next meeting with Kagome wasn't until tomorrow, and if it was someone else, like the drunken detective for instance, there was no way he was leaving his bed. He'd been daydreaming, alone in his cell, about their next meeting, and that had led to quiet contemplations over her handkerchief, the lingering scent of which had led to dreams of her sweet smile, and Inuyasha was more than a little ticked to have been interrupted. Traces of the heavenly aroma were still wafting up to him as he ignored the jailer's calls, and he smiled… the smile abruptly fell and his eyes popped open when a new voice rose to join the chorus.

"Oh honestly, just leave him alone! I can just come back later – he obviously needs to rest!"

Springing from his cot like a jack-in-the-box, Inuyasha met the startled eyes of his lawyer under the yellow light from the hallway. His mind went into overdrive, wondering if he'd missed something from their last meeting, or if he'd overslept and it was tomorrow already; but it was midday still and he couldn't have been napping more than a couple hours.

Catching onto his befuddlement, Kagome smiled sheepishly at him, shrugging her shoulders and saying "Sorry to pop in on you like this, but I needed to talk to you, and it couldn't wait."

There was a lump in his throat the size of a grapefruit and Inuyasha wasn't sure he'd be able to get another breath out before he turned blue and collapsed. Millions of possibilities rushed through him, from good to bad to unbelievable, all of them keeping him stuck to the cot like a ton of lead. He watched Kagome give the guard a pointed stare, clearing her throat to tell him to buzz off, leaving the two of them with the bars between them and a pregnant silence.

Her stormy eyes met his again, and there was a hint of amusement behind the gaze that prompted his fears to ebb and his feet to shuffle away from the bed and toward the metal barrier. "I know this is a little out of the blue" she said at his approach, waiting for him to stop just the other side of the barred wall before continuing "but I wanted to apologize in person for not being able to meet tomorrow."

His newly acquired ease crushed in on itself, and Inuyasha couldn't help the undercurrent of hurt in his voice as he burst out "What? Why the hell not?!" For all her smiles and the soft tone of her voice, he felt she'd just punched him in the gut.

"It's not anything to worry about," she said quickly, and her unconcerned tone just made the hurting worse. Was she that glad to get away from him? Before he could let the self-destructive thoughts run amok, the attorney continued "I've got the meeting about your retrial coming up soon, and I'm heading home for a few days to talk to my grandpa about it. He's had loads more experience with these things than I have, and I wanted his opinion before I just jumped in and made a mess of everything."

With arms crossed, Inuyasha leaned heavily against the bars, huffing and glad to have found a new target for his growing frustration. "It's that bastard detective, ain't it? You're letting him get to you."

Kagome waved a dismissive hand, but she couldn't hide the telltale splash of red across her cheeks. "Look, it's nothing to worry about, alright? He just got me thinking that maybe I should ask for some help on this. It couldn't hurt!"

Inuyasha wasn't so easily convinced. Turning away from her to stare at the empty gray of his cell, he muttered "And what'm I s'posed to do with you gone, huh?"

His ears twitched as silence followed the comment, unsure if she'd heard and even more unsure if he'd really wanted her to. Glancing over his shoulder, he got his answer: Kagome was watching him with a knowing little curve to her bow-lips that told him everything. Eyes sparkling, she said in a soft but teasing voice that surprised him like nothing else "Inuyasha… were you actually looking forward to my next visit?"

His heart pounded at his ribcage so savagely he was sure it was trying to break out; probably wanted to escape right now as much as he did, but there was nowhere for either of them to go. Forcing the organ to calm down and swallowing thickly, Inuyasha answered gruffly "Well there ain't nothin' interesting here, is there? What else have I got to look forward to?"

Kagome didn't look wholly convinced however, still sporting the tiny smile that curled her mouth into the most fascinating shape. "Uh-huh. Well, you're just going to have to find someone else to ignore for the next week while I'm away. Tough luck, fella!"

Spinning on her heel, she started off towards the jail room door, accompanied by the soft click of her shoes on the concrete. Inuyasha watched her leave in growing panic, seeing her departure as nothing less than a permanent farewell. "Wait!"

She turned back to him with wide, expectant eyes, her black curls falling over her shoulder and cascading down her back like a mountain of chocolate shavings. His throat went dry as he searched for words to keep her there. "You… better not forget about me…. I mean don't leave me here to rot, while you prance around back home."

Her smile broadened, became understanding and indulgent, and Inuyasha cursed himself for having let on too much. "Don't worry, I'll come back." She giggled, and Inuyasha's ears perked up at the sound. "Besides, I don't think I could forget you, even if I tried!"

He smirked, caught up in her sudden change of mood, and turned to grab the bars, looking over at her in mock threat. "Like I'd let you."

"Oh?" She countered, stepping up to the bars once more, "and you think I'm scared of you?" Hazel eyes watched him closely from between the iron rods, and Inuyasha felt his grip on them tighten. Their banter reminded him sharply of their first meeting, and how he'd glared down at her through the bars in a situation not unlike this one, except… well, everything felt different now. _He_ felt different. Inuyasha took deep breaths, greedily drinking in her scent that was all he could focus on in her close proximity and hoping she wouldn't notice.

"I don't think you'll be forgetting me either" she quipped, and Inuyasha nearly bit his tongue off; perhaps he hadn't been as subtle as he thought. Her smile was still in place as she turned away from him again and continued on to the door. The guard opened it for her to step through, but just as she reached it, she turned one last time to look at the man watching her go forlornly. "It'll only be a week. I'll be working hard, and I want you to do the same. Be a good dog!" And then she moved, and it was as if the world slowed to a crawl. Dainty fingers rose to her slightly puckered lips, pressing for only a second before bowing out toward him with the softest exhale. Her eyes fluttered closed for only a second and she might have winked, but it had been too close to call. Then she was gone, and the metal door slammed shut behind her.

Inuyasha hardly noticed, staring disbelieving at the spot she'd just occupied. He hadn't imagined it – his eyes weren't playing tricks: just before she left, she'd blown him a kiss. He didn't even remember about the 'dog' crack she'd made in parting as his thoughts were consumed in a violent torrent of 'what was THAT?!'

Little did he know, just the other side of the metal door, his lovely attorney was lost in the same storm.

* * *

"I'm home!" The voice at the door was groggy and hoarse from sleep; Kagome had dozed off on the night train back home, and it was only the by the nudging of an impatient attendant that she narrowly escaped missing her stop. The emotional train she'd been riding since that afternoon hadn't bothered to offer the same courtesy or even to let her off, exhausting her to a point where she could hardly keep her eyelids from falling shut. Sliding the front door closed behind her, Kagome dropped her suitcase to the floor with a thunk and staggered to the kitchen down the hall. A dim yellow light flooded the entryway outside it, and Kagome could see a gray shadow moving across it as someone frittered about beyond the glow. She smiled – she had already guessed that her mother would wait up, despite the late hour.

She entered the kitchen to see the older woman wiping her hands on her apron, warmth from the oven filling the room and the smell of something sweet on the air. "Hi Mom," she started softly, and her mother turned with a gasp and delight sparkling in her eyes.

"Oh Kagome, it's been so long!" Rushing her daughter, she enveloped the younger girl in a hug, dusting her with flour in the process. Kagome smiled and squeezed her mother back, her brows furrowing, wishing she could stop time for a moment and savor her mother's loving warmth. Few things made her feel safer than this embrace. Pulling apart to give each other happy smiles, Kagome opened her mouth to tell her mother how happy she was to see her, and how well she looked, and how well everything was going, but the words never came. Instead, her earlier rush of confusing emotions crashed over her in a tidal wave at the sight of the person she trusted most, leaving her gaping soundlessly.

"Kagome? Dear, what's wrong?" The older woman's kindly smile was the balm to Kagome's tumult, and her breath left in a heavy sigh. "Mom, can we… talk?"

Instantly the woman was in action: she ushered Kagome gently to the table, pulling out a chair and bustling about for a cup of tea. The egg-timer went off, and a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies was pulled from the oven. Plating two of the gooey confections and pouring a hot mug of aromatic tea for her daughter, Mrs. Higurashi sat in the chair across from the young woman and folded her hands under her chin with an encouraging smile.

Kagome circled the mug with both hands, more to warm her fingers than to take a drink, and breathed deeply of the fragrant steam. Her eyes closed for a moment as she pondered where to begin. "I uh…" licking her lips, she swallowed and tried again, "there's this problem at work…."

"Is it something your grandfather can help with?" Her mother prompted helpfully, tilting her head to meet Kagome's nervous eyes. The young woman shook her head and replied "No, well… I do have some questions for him about the case I'm working on, but… it's not… it's not about that really. I mean… maybe it is." Huffing her exasperation at not being able to find the words, Kagome brought a warmed hand to her forehead, rubbing through her dark bangs and chewing her lip as she trudged through her own mind. The problem was… she wasn't even sure _what_ the problem was! All she knew is it wouldn't leave her alone!

Daring to look her mother in the eye, Kagome started again, haltingly as though she were a child taking its first uncertain steps "You see… there's this… fella. That I'm working with. Serious business, you know? There's this line between us." Her mother watched with interest, but whether she was surprised to hear Kagome was having 'boy troubles', she didn't let on. Taking her courage firmly by the reigns, Kagome plunged on "And I… I've been getting to know him more and more, and he's nothing like I thought he was at first…. I mean, he really doesn't get the credit he deserves, and I'm starting to think most of his behavior is just a big act, but I don't know what it is he's trying to cover up. Maybe it's the fact that he's a good person, but I… I already think he's a good person. In fact… I…" lost eyes searched for an anchor in the gaze across from them, until finally Kagome managed to say "Mama, I think I'm starting to _like_ him. I think I'm crossing that line."

Her mother's smile was radiant and understanding, looking only too happy to hear such a difficult confession. "But Kagome, why are you so upset about this? Having feelings like that is a wonderful experience! And he sounds like such a nice boy too." She winked, and pushed the plate of cookies closer to the gaping girl. "Eat up before those go cold. Really though Kagome, it's not like it's a big secret! We all know who it is, don't we?"

The cookie fell from Kagome's fingers just as it was about to meet her lips, mouth hanging open and eyes like saucers as she stared at the giggling woman. "W-what?!"

"Well, there's only one young man working so close with you, isn't there? You've already told us about him, and what a nice young man he is and all!" Kagome nearly choked. "I… I did?" Leaning back in the kitchen chair, Mrs. Higurashi laughed and answered "Yes, when you first started working! It's your assistant, right? Akitoki Hojo, wasn't it?"

Kagome's jaw snapped shut, and had she been holding her mug of tea, it would have slipped from her suddenly limp fingers and shattered. As it was, she forgot all about her tea and tempting cookies in the wake of that comment. Hojo? _Hojo?!_ Why on earth would her mother think -! "N-no. Honest Mom, no. That's… he's… that's absolutely not who I'm talking about."

Confusion splashed across her mother's face. "Oh… I just assumed… since you were talking about working close with him, and having a line between you that you couldn't cross…. Well, doesn't that sound like it could be him?"

Picking absently at a cookie, Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "It wouldn't be so bad if this guy were just my assistant. Sure, it might look a little weird to people, but… it'd be nothing compared to what's _really_ going on."

There was a silence in which Kagome didn't dare look at her mother – she knew what was coming. It was with doleful resignation that she heard her mother say slowly "So… who is this man that you like, Kagome?"

She pursed her lips, putting off the inevitable revelation, but she couldn't hold it in for long and blurted in a self-conscious squeak "He's my client."

Heavy silence blanketed the table. Kagome's anxious fingers pulled apart a cookie and watched the melted chocolate string between the broken fragments before dropping to drag across the plate. Finally, her mother spoke up in a truly shaken voice. "But… Kagome, isn't your client…."

Of course – she'd forgotten that she'd mentioned her current case to her mother over the phone. Just the basics of course, but she'd never expected them to come back and bite her like this. With a sigh she answered quietly "yeah, he's… he's in prison. On conviction of murder… but he didn't do it." Her voice rose slightly at the end, strengthening with her assertion of Inuyasha's innocence, almost daring her mother to challenge her. She should have known her mother better.

A warm, weathered hand grasped her fingers from across the table, and Kagome's eyes lifted at once to lock eagerly with a gaze that spoke only of understanding and love. "It must be hard," she whispered, and Kagome's throat tightened, blocking any response. "Having to see a good man locked up for something he didn't do… I can only imagine what that must be like for you. You've always had such a tender heart." Kagome looked away from that gaze, fighting back the stinging in her eyes. Leave it to her mother to peg her feelings so quickly and precisely. She felt grateful, and oddly bare.

"But Kagome," the older woman continued, catching her daughter's eye again, "are you sure you know what these feelings really are? You sure they're not just… pity?"

An emphatic shake of her head was the immediate response. "No, you haven't met him – there's no pitying this guy. He's too strong and tough for that! Besides, he'd never accept my pity." A small smile lit her lips, and she said wryly "he's already called me out on it once."

Amusement danced across her mother's face as well, but was soon tampered by something deeper, something sadder. "I see," she continued in a thoughtful voice, "it's just… I'm worried Kagome. Oh, not about him or what kind of person he is." She waved her hand dismissively as Kagome gave her a sheepish look. "I trust your judgement – if you think he's good enough to take a fancy to, then that's good enough for me. No, the thing that worries me is… what if you don't win?"

Blank eyes stared across the table, Kagome's mind pushing the question away as if afraid to understand what it was really asking. "What if you can't prove his innocence" her mother continued, her tone adamant as she leaned across the table toward her daughter, "and he stays in prison? What if you keep trying and trying, because I know you Dear, and I know you would, and you're never able to get him out? What would you do? What if he had feelings for you as well, but could never be with you? What would _he_ do?"

Kagome could feel her face growing hotter with each question, the pressure in her head building by the second as water welled behind her eyes. These questions had been pounding at the door of her subconscious for days now, and she'd been stubbornly shutting them out all that time. Now, carried along on her mother's voice, they'd broken down the door and were pillaging her mind like a marauding brigade. Her last defense in tatters, she let loose her tears.

Her mother's fingers tightened around her own, and she found some solace in the sure grip as she cried softly over her forgotten tea and cookies. "Kagome dear," her mother's soft voice carried over the sound of her whimpers, "I'm not telling you to change how you feel. I just hope that when the time comes, no matter what happens, you'll be able to accept it." Kagome sniffled noisily, unable to respond, and her mother smiled. "But no matter what happens, I know that you're going to do your best to help this young man, whether or not he returns your feelings. At the end of the day, you can be proud of that."

Nodding lightly and rubbing at her wet eyes, Kagome gave her mother a shaky smile. "I know. Probably nothing will ever come of this – I don't think he'd ever look at me as more than his lawyer, but… maybe he'll let me be his friend. Would that be crossing the line?" her eyes were hopeful, and her mother responded with an indulgent smile.

"I think a friend is just what he needs right now." Giving her daughter's hand a final squeeze, she nodded to the plate and said teasingly "Now, are you going to eat those, or should I go get your brother?"

"Souta wouldn't wake for an earthquake" Kagome quipped, before finally popping a piece of cooled cookie into her mouth. She hummed in satisfaction at the perfectly sweet flavor and excitedly reached for another piece.

"Kagome dear, now you've got me wondering…."

The young woman looked up from her mug of tea to see a mischievous gleam in her mother's eye. "What does this mysterious fella of yours look like? He must be quite the looker to make even his lawyer fall for him, and while he's in prison too!"

Kagome glanced away hurriedly, trying in vain to hide her blush behind the mug of tea. She could feel her mother's expectant gaze, and knew she'd have to give in eventually. A thought struck her, and she put down the cup to reach into the bag at her side for her folder containing Inuyasha's case files. She paused with them in hand for a moment, weighing the possible outcomes of sharing this with her mother, before slipping them across the table. The older woman took them eagerly and immediately opened the folder as Kagome explained "Now, I know he looks a little scary, but this _is_ his mugshot remember, so –"

"Oh, what a handsome boy! Kagome, you should have brought this out from the start! I can't blame you for falling for him – I bet he's such a sweetheart behind that frown! And would you look at those ears! I hope you can solve this one soon Kagome, I'd love to meet this young man. Ooh, but those ears!"

Listening to her mother happily chatter on over Inuyasha's photograph, Kagome finished off her dessert in silence, a wry smile on her lips. 'Maybe I _should_ have shown her the picture to start with.'

* * *

Miroku let himself into the musty apartment building with practiced ease; there was no sense knocking and announcing his presence on an errand like this. The yellow pane of stained glass rattled in the door as it shut behind him, and he winced at the sound, but continued on with a comfortable ease, looking for all the world as if he were one of the regular tenants. He'd made sure to wear his rattiest coat on this outing, leaving the cufflinks and polished shoes behind – no need to ask for a mugging when all you wanted was a simple interview.

This was a section of town you would'nt know unless you lived there, and it was a near miracle the private detective had even stumbled upon it in the first place. Were it not for his target's bad reputation and tab with a local bartender, he wouldn't have found her at all. Of course, he hadn't really _finished_ tracking her just yet.

Her address running neatly through his brain, he stopped in front of the apartment rumored to be hers and rapped sharply on the doorframe. There was no immediate answer, but he didn't expect there to be. Miroku waited only a minute before knocking again, this time harder and longer, showing he had no intention of going away. He held in a smirk as the sound of footsteps approached the door, and smiled ingratiatingly as the entry opened onto a woman in her early thirties, white-haired and scowling.

"Evening, doll" he said, tipping his hat, "You Tsubaki by any chance?"

Her expression turned from annoyance to suspicion in the blink of an eye as she snapped back in a rasping voice "Who wants to know?"

So… she was going to be like that, was she? He could have guessed, but it didn't matter – she'd already given him all the clues he needed. Her appearance alone gave her away as just the person he was looking for, from her bobbed hair to her flapper dress and strands of pearls. She was living in the past just like the bartender had said; living in a time ten years ago when she'd been at the top of her game as a nurse, before an upstart named Kikyo had come along and stolen her glory. Miroku didn't need her name at all.

"Just looking on behalf of a buddy of mine" the detective said jovially, "but if you happen to see Tsubaki, tell her this: that I've got a box of dynamite on her that I'm ready to take to court, and it's gonna blow up all over town. Or," he added quickly, seeing the mounting panic in the woman's face, "she can agree to meet with me and answer a few questions, and I can sweep that box under the rug so's she can go on hiding all that illegal magic she's been practicing for years."

Tsubaki's lips pursed sourly as she considered her options, but it wasn't even a minute before her expression morphed into one so falsely saccharine it made Miroku shiver. "Won't you come in mister? I was just making some coffee."

The detective followed her inside the candle-lit room wearing his most charming smile, the hand in his pocket securely fixed to his gun.

* * *

*Author's Note:

Ooooh deary dear... it's been a loooong time since I updated this fic and I am SO. SORRY. It's not abandoned, not by a long shot, I just... have a LOT of other fics that I'm also working on. Also I've been working all summer and I haven't felt much like writing :/ But recently that's changed and I've been writing a lot, so cross your fingers and hope that this writing streak continues! Here's to hoping that the next update won't take another 8 months! (again I am so sorry!)


	7. Fools Rush In

~Dizzy Defense for an Underdog~

Chapter Seven: Fools Rush In

* * *

"And what would a handsome gent like yourself want with little old me?" Tsubaki all but fell into her chair, a high-backed, padded monstrosity embroidered with flowers and trimmed in carved cherry wood. She was all leisure as Miroku took a seat across a low table from her, the couch under him decidedly less grand but still worth more than her shabby apartment hinted at.

"It's about a friend of mine" he started, keeping his tone casual despite the tense atmosphere. "He's in some trouble thanks to something that happened about ten years ago. I wanna help him out."

Lifting a thin cigarette holder to her lips, Tsubaki took a long drag, blowing out slowly and watching the rising smoke before bothering with a response. "And what's your friend got to do with me? I'm not in the business of charity work, Mister…."

"Miyatsu" he answered for her, watching as a hint of understanding flashed in her eyes. He hoped throwing his name out would be the push to get her talk, instead of a hammer to shut her up. An ingratiating smile lit his face as the woman before him took a somewhat shaky pull from her cigarette.

"Well well… Miyatsu. Haven't heard that name in a while… a long while." Her lips pursed, and her gaze turned stern as she looked across at him. "Tell me what it is you're really here for, _Dick_ , before my hospitality runs out."

He reached for the ornate coffee cup on the table, swirling the contents inside and not daring to take a sip. "Nothin' to get riled up about, I assure you. You won't be under any investigation… if you cooperate that is. And I'm sure you will." Miroku set her with a dazzling smile, and her frown pinched even more. "It has to do with the unfortunate death of your colleague ten years ago. A nurse named Kikyo. I'm sure you remember her."

She tapped her cigarette sharply, the ashes falling to the table and completely missing the crystal tray, and Miroku knew he was playing with fire.

"You looking for that scrap of jewelry too?" Her mouth pinched into a sour expression. "You think I'd be living like this if I had something as valuable as that?"

"No no, nothing like that" Miroku said absently, setting down the china cup of coffee without having tasted a drop. He valiantly kept his eyes focused forward, instead of roving them about the opulent room. She wasn't exactly living in squalor; a waitress' salary wouldn't cover half the valuables in this room, but he hadn't come to pry into her shady finances. "Like I said, I'm here for a friend. A friend in prison."

Tsubaki's expression turned from anger to shock faster than a bangtail out of the gate. Her fingers fisted around the stem of her cigarette holder, and Miroku knew he'd struck something; he could only hope it was a vein of gold and not a waiting rockslide. "You mean to tell me they've finally caught that double-crossing son of a bitch?"

Miroku clenched his jaw, every muscle trained on looking as casual as possible while he waited for her to continue. Could she… possibly be talking about Inuyasha? Was there something more to his story than Kagome knew? Or was it someone else?

Caught up in her own tirade, Tsubaki seemed to forget the detective was there at all as she murmured disdainfully "Rotten spider… it's high time he got what was coming to him. What an ingrate – not a drop of appreciation for what I managed to pull! You people think spells come easy but let me tell you! Let me tell you…."

"Spider?" The PI caught on the word, carefully avoiding the other information she'd spilled. He logged it all away for future investigating. "You wouldn't be talking about mob-boss Naraku, now would you?" The notorious gang-leader had a taste for theatrics, and he left his spider-mark burned on not only his crime scenes, but his victims and cronies as well. He'd become synonymous with anything eight-legged and crawling.

Tsubaki set startled eyes on the black-haired man, her tone nervous as she replied "… Honey, just who are _you_ talking about? If it ain't _him_ in the slammer, then who are you askin' for?"

"The half-demon Inuyasha. Lover-boy to your colleague Kikyo."

Miroku took careful note of Tsubaki's scoffing dismissal. "Please – lover? He followed her around like a love-sick puppy, I'll give you that, but they were never lovers." Tapping her ashes into the crystal dish, the white-haired woman fixed her gaze on the shuttered window behind her guest, continuing absently "She humored him, and I suppose she could have cared for him. More than any of the other nurses, that was for sure." She blew a cloud of heavily scented smoke into the air, and her lips turned up in a snake-like grin. "'Course that didn't mean much the night he murdered her."

Leaning back in the mildew-scented cushions, Miroku put on his best face of indifference. "Were you working that night? The night he murdered her?"

"Listen here dick, I worked mornin', noon, and night at that insane asylum. My blood, sweat, and tears went into that job, and no one gave a damn." She took a sharp drag from her cigarette and choked, coughing up clouds of smoke and waving them away. "And in walks little miss baby-doll, and suddenly she's an assistant, then a head nurse, and pretty soon they're offerin' her a sweet office job, and she turns it down just so's she can keep up her little 'angel' routine." The cigarette was a mere stump now, and Tsubaki gave it a withering look before snuffing it out in the tray of ashes, setting the holder across the rim. "That bitch had a cherry-topped life handed to her on a silver platter, and she passed it by for low-lifes like your mutt. She got what she deserved."

Tsubaki's eyes fell on the detective, cold and piercing and challenging him to disagree. Miroku merely shrugged. "Takes all kinds, I guess" he said, carefully avoiding the woman's gaze. "Kikyo musta really loved her work to turn down an opportunity like that. Some might call it brave."

"Brave?" Tsubaki scoffed, reaching across the table for an open cigarette box. "And where did that bravery get her, hmm?" A wry grin quirked her lip as she continued "Maybe if she'd been a little less brave, he mighta let her live."

" _He_? You mean Inuyasha?" Rolling her eyes, Tsubaki draped her arms over the sides of her plush chair and heaved a sigh. Miroku could see her patience wearing thin, and knew he'd have to speed up the interview and risk garnering suspicion.

"Yes, I mean _him_. Who else would I be talking about?"

"Did you see the confrontation?" Leaning forward, eyes filled with urgency, Miroku waited for the gaudy woman to respond. She realized the implications at once, meeting his gaze head-on with a warning glare. "I didn't see him kill her, and I couldna helped her even if I did. I'm only human."

"Are you indeed?" Miroku mused, and Tsubaki's flickering glance to the wall told him he'd pressed the right button.

"Look if it'll get you to shut up and leave, I'll tell ya what I saw." She lit another cigarette, not even bothering to put it in its holder before taking a puff. "We was both workin' the night shift. Kikyo took a break some time around four in the mornin', and went to meet the halfy in our back room. I left 'em alone for a while – I sure didn't wanna see them shmoozin'. About a half hour later I had my break, and Kikyo hadn't come back, so I went to chew her out. Only I didn't need to: the halfy was already layin' into her pretty hard. He had her up against the wall, shoutin' on and on about something… can't remember what, after all these years – not like I cared to listen in the first place."

Turning in her seat, she draped her legs over the armrest and settled back, twirling her cigarette in lazy patterns. "Anyways, she wasn't havin' it, and I saw her try to leave a couple times, but he just kept pullin' her back. Can't quite remember how it all happened, but he had her pinned and was all over her in seconds. Last I saw, his nasty lips were on her and he was tearin' at her blouse. I didn't stick around for the finale."

"Are you tellin' me" Miroku said evenly, desperately pushing back his disgust, "that you saw him attack her – knew he'd try to _rape_ her – and you just went back to work?"

Tsubaki laughed, throwing up her hands and saying "What're you gonna do, put me in jail?" A chuckle escaped her, and the crystal dish rang like a bell as she tapped off her ashes. "Like I said, I couldn't have helped little miss princess even if I'd wanted to. Nurses aren't trained to fight off brutes." Her dark eyes caught Miroku's frown, and she smirked. "It was none o' my business. _She_ was the poor judge of character here. I didn't think he'd murder her of course – I mighta actually called the coppers if I knew what kinda trouble they'd cause for me after all that."

"So where did you go, might I ask, to avoid the 'lover's quarrel'?" The accusation was still lingering in his tone, but Tsubaki only smirked and answered all the same.

"I did my patient rotations. We had a room of invalids who couldn't leave their beds – there was always a night-nurse on duty to change their sheets and bedpans." She sneered, and Miroku wondered how anyone so crass had ever been a nurse. "Kikyo should've been helping, but… well, you know what was up with her." She huffed, but then her eyes grew distant, and she rapped the cigarette holder lightly against her knuckles. "Y'know… now that I think of it, there _was_ something off that night. One of the patients was out of bed."

Miroku's expression turned thoughtful, but there was no reason yet for excitement. "Could have gotten up for a late-night stroll I s'pose."

Tsubaki barked a mirthless laugh, and muttered "Not this one. He hadn't moved from that bed his whole time in the hospital. Burn victim – no working limbs!"

The detective's cool demeanor slipped as his mind called forth a recent memory. He could see the scrawled words on the police report in vivid clarity: 'bed-ridden', 'extensive burns'… it sounded just like…. "You wouldn't happen to remember the name of this patient, now would you?"

He didn't like Tsubaki's knowing smile one bit, and wasn't at all surprised when she simpered out "What's it worth to ya?"

* * *

"Well?" the inmate pressed, leaning towards the glass barrier with eyes fixed on the detective; "Did she tell ya or what?!"

"She told me her terms" Miroku responded tightly. "Tsubaki wants complete anonymity in this case, and we can't try bringin' her in for any past charges either. Basically, I have to play things like we never met."

"So what then?" Inuyasha's yellow eyes burned under the stark lighting of the meeting room, his fangs flashing in a snarl. "That ain't much, right? You can arrange all that, can't ya?"

The detective shrugged, his lips pursed. "It puts us at a disadvantage. We can't use her as a witness now, even though she's got some of the best info I've heard yet." Miroku slumped forward, dragging his gloved hand through black bangs as his eyes focused on the dividing wall beside him. "I agreed of course – I could tell saying 'no' wasn't an option at that point. If she didn't try to off me just for askin' too many questions, I'm sure she woulda packed up the second I left and moved across the country. She may do that anyways…." A weary sigh slipped from the man, and he continued "Not that it did any good. She won't say a word more until she has my word in writing. It's like I'm gambling with a rigged deck – my only chance now is to rig one of my own."

"I don't appreciate ya gamblin' with my freedom" Inuyasha muttered, but Miroku waved off the snide reply, his expression falling in a mask of distress. "Your lack of faith in my skill is disheartening. You take me for the kind of chump who throws in his hand when a real high-roller shows up?"

"I take you for a welcher" Inuyasha jibed; Miroku shook his head reprovingly. "Such slander. Ah well, if you're gonna be like that, I guess I'll toss the hot tip I got from Tsubaki and let you and your lawyer settle this yourself."

"So you _did_ get something?!" Leaning across the small table, Inuyasha stared at the black-haired man impatiently. Miroku took his time responding, twirling his pen between gloved fingers and humming absently. "Maybe" he said thoughtfully; "We'll just have to see how it turns out. She told me about a visitor Kikyo had a few days before the attack – a usual guest to the hospital." At Inuyasha's warring expression of suspicion and alarm, Miroku clarified quickly "Kikyo's grandmother. Her only living relative. Apparently they were close."

The prisoner's confusion cleared, his eyes growing distant as he leaned back in his chair. "Old Kaede, huh? I wonder if she's still kickin'."

"Knew her, did you?" At the detective's piercing look, Inuyasha shrugged. "Yeah, she ran the orphanage I lived at. Didn't know she was Kikyo's granny at first…. We musta talked about it at some point, but I don't remember. She was alright, far as humans go."

Watching the sentimental half-demon, a smile tugged at Miroku's lips. "I hope she and you were on good terms," he began, "because she may be our best bet for finding out what really happened. She spoke to Kikyo not long before the day of the murder, and she may have heard about any shady characters who could've framed you." Inuyasha shrugged again, avoiding the detective's piercing gaze and picking at his sleeves. Understanding he'd reached his limit of conversation, Miroku added "No need for you to worry over it though; I'll have it settled and you'll never hear the details. You just keep working on those people skills with our lovely lawyer so they don't toss you out the court room." He smirked, his blue eyes growing distant as he rambled on "She and I will look into the Kaede angle, and we'll see what we can make of the case… of course, I'll need to meet with her often to keep her in the loop. Perhaps over coffee, or maybe we could find a nice restaurant to sit down and really _hammer out_ the finer points."

"You better not be doin' no kinda hammerin' with her at all, ya hear me lech?" The detective's amused grin did little to mollify the bristling prisoner. "I mean it – any meetings ya have with her, they better include me, dammit!"

"Hmm, you enjoy my company that much, Inuyasha?"

"I look forward to it 'bout as much as a stint in solitary. You been hittin' the bottle too much if you think I trust ya within' five feet of Kagome." Miroku laughed heartily, the frown on Inuyaha's face growing more annoyed at the sound. "I hope dear Kagome returns from her trip soon then, for both our sakes." Miroku rose from his chair, gathering his files and chuckling to himself all the while. "Murdering the detective assigned to your case wouldn't look too good for the court, now would it?"

"Quit makin' it so tempting then" Inuyasha growled, standing as well to signal to the guard outside that he was finished. The detective was unfazed, giving the half-demon a jovial wave as he left. As the guard secured his cuffs and escorted him out, Inuyasha slipped deeper into the surly mood that'd plagued him all week. The visit with Miroku was a welcome change of pace, though he'd never admit to it, but it wasn't enough. Every hour passed by in a dirge of loneliness, echoing in the empty hollows that had burst into being the moment his lawyer left his cell. He hated the feeling.

Anger roiled through him as he remembered how she'd left, his mind's eye calling up in perfect detail the moment when she'd thrown him that kiss. She had no right to do that – she had no right to toy with his heart and raise his hopes and make him feel things that he'd sworn never to feel again. All the same, he couldn't stop remembering. He couldn't shake the elation brought by her scent or the ache caused by its absence. Despite knowing how this would all end, knowing he didn't stand a chance in hell at ever gaining that woman's affection… he couldn't keep his heart from pounding at the sight of her face.

'Damn you, Kitten' he thought bitterly, the term truly one of endearment as it painted a million pictures of her sunny smile, her sparkling eyes, her midnight curls; 'I just wanna be free, not have my heart broke all over again.'

The evening passed by in sluggish routine of weights, dinner, and mess-hall cleanup, and by the time the lights were turned out in his wing of the jail, Inuyasha knew it'd be another restless few hours before sleep finally took him. A resonating click of a lock and heavy creaking of metal hinges filled the silence of his prison wing several times as the night guard came to check on him, the hulking form of the demon bull pausing before the barred door of his cell before turning and trudging back to the main halls. He gave Gyu-oh a passing wave as he left the first time, ignoring him every time after as he feigned sleep.

Folding his arms behind his head, Inuyasha glanced from his cot to the tiny window in his cell. The moon was peeking from behind a cloud, no more than a sliver, and Inuyasha grimaced. Tomorrow would be a rough night. Glaring at the disappearing moon, the half-demon called up Kagome's smiling face, and once again thought of whether or not to tell her. This went beyond safety, beyond trust: if he could prove to her, at least to her, that he was guiltless beyond a shadow of a doubt… perhaps he'd be able to stand life in this hell just a little more. He wouldn't let her tell a soul, but maybe sharing the burden of truth would finally let his heart rest. At the very least, after all she'd done so far to help him… he owed her this much.

* * *

Kagome fairly skipped her way through the prison door, biting her lip to keep from humming as she showed her license to the guard and signed in. It had been over a week since she'd seen her favorite hopeless case, and the young lawyer was itching to share the little bit of the hope she'd found on her trip home. Following her surly escort down the narrow hallway to the visiting room, Kagome fought the army of butterflies waging war in her stomach. She'd done a fair job all week of keeping her thoughts focused on the trial, but with Inuyasha just a few walls away, her other feelings refused to be silent.

What if he asked about that kiss? What if she'd offended him? What if he thought she was just a silly little girl and kicked her off his case? It wouldn't be the first time he over-reacted like a five-year-old. But then, she'd been able to talk him down before, hadn't she? Rolling her shoulders and straightening her back, Kagome set her gaze firmly ahead of her, trying to feel as confident as she hoped she looked. Maybe he'd forgotten her little slip-up, and they could carry on like mature adults. It was worth a try.

The guard left her in the empty waiting room with a passing remark that her client was being informed of her arrival, and Kagome sat down in her usual wooden chair at her usual cubby, sitting up straight to keep her air of professionalism. She didn't notice the way her neck craned to catch a glimpse of Inuyasha's as he entered.

Minutes passed by like hours, and Kagome's guarded features were beginning to slip into a frown, when a commotion down the hall had her neck craning even further toward the invisible source of the noise. There was shouting from multiple voices, and the pounding of several sets of feet, and it all seemed to be coming closer and closer to the room in which she sat –

Until a figure crashed through the door, stumbling into the room to stand heaving in the middle of it, and it took Kagome's brain a minute or so to put together the acres of sweat-glossed, flushed brown skin, blue boxers, scraggly white hair and perky dog ears and place a name to it – at which point her brain helpfully shut down.

Oblivious to his lawyers gawking state and the still shouting guards quickly closing in, Inuyasha nearly laughed in excitement, taking in her lovely scent with each rapid breath as he all but shouted "You came back!" He could hardly believe it; not that he'd _really_ doubted her, not with that calming voice in his head all week that sounded an awful lot like her, whispering that she'd never break a promise to him. But it had been so easy to fall back into old habits of assuming the worst, of thinking he'd never catch a break, never be happy, never have a friend again… yet here she was. She'd come back. Just like she'd said she would.

He stared at her for a few happy seconds more, before the guards rushed in behind him in an angry clamor. The one who'd been sent to fetch him whacked him upside the head with his night stick, and despite the weak arm on the human, it managed to leave an ache. The hit shook Kagome from her stupor across the divider from them, and she called an angry "Hey watch it!" but was sharply ignored.

"What's the big idea runnin' off, Halfy?" The guard sneered, brandishing his stick once more. "I oughta lock you in solitary for a week!" He toyed with the cuffs at his belt, and Inuyasha's attention wandered to the wall. He'd heard it all before. "You're just lucky you ended up where we was takin' you in the first place, of it'd be stir. You got five minutes" the guard snapped, ignoring as Inuyasha opened his mouth to object "and then you're on mess hall cleanup till lights out. No sneakin' table scraps either." With a shrug of his shoulders he motioned the other guards out of the room, Inuyasha growling at them as they left.

He couldn't stay angry for long though, and with their distraction gone, lawyer and convict were free to focus on each other: one with open relief, and the other… absolute mortification. It took Inuyasha longer than it should have to realize that Kagome's eyes had said goodbye to his face and were roving up and down from his ratty tennis shoes to the towel draped over his shoulder like a matching pair of marbles. Her own face was red enough to rival a tomato, and the heady scent of her nervousness filled the room like a sauna, making the half-demon's already spinning head whirl even worse.

It hit him, rather belatedly, that he'd run out in the middle of lifting weights, not bothering to shower or change or _anything_ he usually did in his excitement at hearing she'd arrived. A flush crept up his neck to realize he'd run in sweaty and nearly naked to see his drop-dead gorgeous lawyer, and he hadn't said anything in the way of explanation since. Come to think of it, she hadn't done anything but gape like a trout either. Rallying his confidence and shoving away his hurt pride, Inuyasha told himself 'what right she got to be offended by my body, huh? So I came straight from workin' out, so what? She don't gotta act like she ain't never seen a man before. I ain't so different from anyone else.'

Steadying himself with a quick breath, Inuyasha buried his frown under a cocky grin, hand on his hip and posture full of arrogance as he teased "See somethin' ya like, Kitten?" Her hazel eyes snapped to his so fast that he nearly bit his tongue off as his mouth closed on the final word. He hadn't meant to let that slip – he'd meant to tease her, sure, but he hadn't meant to call her by that name. That special name. That name he only called her in his mind, on the edge of sleep, with her scent on the edge of his memories and his better judgement out for the night. She wasn't supposed to know.

Her red face melted into absolute and utter embarrassment, eyes darting this way and that, anywhere but him, mouth gaping and spewing half-formed words that she didn't have time to think about between trying to find a place to rest her gaze and finding something to do with her nervous fingers. Inuyasha watched her frenzied state with growing amazement. He'd only meant to snap her out of that weird staring thing she'd been stuck in. He thought she'd be mad at being called 'Kitten' – most broads didn't take to being called diminutives like that, especially high-class ones like her. But not only wasn't she mad… she was _flustered_. Inuyasha watched her fan herself, tugging at her collar and looking pointedly away from him, and the revelation nearly floored him: he'd been _right_! She _did_ like what she saw!

Numbly he reached for the wooden chair in front of him, forgetting his sweaty state as he plopped down into it and continued to watch with wide eyes as Kagome calmed herself down. She was glancing across at him every so often now, her cheeks still stained red, and Inuyasha couldn't fight the wide, fang-showing smile even if he wanted to. His lawyer pursed her lips to keep from smiling back, but he could tell. "Y'know…" he began, unable to do anything but grin, "I hate to break it to ya, but this can't become a regular thing. I'm gettin' cold."

She turned to face him with hands to her hips and face screwed into a frown, but it didn't last long as a snort of laughter broke her façade, and she doubled over, pulling out the chair and falling into it. Tucking her black hair behind an ear as she laughed, Kagome gave him a nervous smile and dared at last to meet his eye. "What on earth are you doing?" she said a little breathlessly. "Trying to give me a heartattack?"

"Course not!" He answered, moving to lean back and lace his arms behind his head – at least, before he noticed his lawyer's gaze following the lines of muscle and the bright flush warming her cheeks. He hastily righted himself and tugged the towel around his neck, for lack of anything better to do. "I uh… you took too long comin' back is all, and I wanted to see ya. Besides, you rather I make ya wait while I finish my workout and shower and all that? You already chewed me out about that at our first meeting." His nervous smile was enough to snap Kagome back from her absent-minded ogling, and her eyes found a very fascinating wood grain pattern instead.

"Right, so… anyways, I talked to my grandpa while I was away." Her gaze flickered up to his again, and finding some inner strength, secured his curious yellow eyes. "We may have found a loop-hole. I think I can prove your innocence without ever needing your alibi."

The half-demon was silent, fixed in place by that avid stare of brown and green. He didn't speak at first; in fact he wasn't even sure what he _wanted_ to say. Kagome watched him patiently, but there was an eager light in her countenance, and he realized what she'd done for him. Inuyasha knew he was being a difficult client – hell, he'd been difficult for everyone who'd ever met him since the day he was born – but Kagome had met him halfway, respecting his wishes to find a way around his alibi, and going the extra mile to make a case without that crucial element. It meant more than that though, much more: it meant she believed him. She believed he was innocent even though he couldn't, _wouldn't_ give her proof that he hadn't murdered Kikyo.

And there was only one way he could think to repay that trust.

The door behind them clicked open, and the jangle of keys heralded the entry of the guards coming to escort him out. Rising to his feet, Inuyasha leaned towards the glass and said softly to the girl on the other side "Come by tonight, after sundown. Come to my cell."

Kagome's wide-eyed stare and confused "Huh?" were less than encouraging, and as the guards mumbled impatiently behind him, Inuyasha's request became more urgent. "Just do it, alright? Come back later tonight, and I'll have more information for ya. Just tell 'em you needed more time with your client or some crap. Pull your lawyer card." She raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, but then he gave her a pleading look, adding quietly "It's important. There's something I need to tell you" and she all but melted on the spot.

Inuyasha stepped back, the guard cuffing him and pulling him toward the door, but he gave her a nod as he turned to go, and Kagome returned the gesture resolutely. She'd be back tonight, just as she'd returned today. He could count on her. A calm, peaceful smile made its way onto the half-demon's face as he was led back to the gym, his thoughts for once a quiet sea.

He completely missed his flushed lawyer fanning herself once more as soon as he turned to go.

* * *

*Author's Note:

First of all, as with every chapter with every one of my fics... it's been an eternity. I know this and I'm sorry. I've had life, school, other crap, you know how it goes.

Second, the oh so lovely InuKag fluff in this chapter was inspired by the AMAZING art of Nokaninja over on tumblr - I'll have a link to the art on my tumblr page, but this site is horrible about including links, so unless I find a good way to include one, you'll have to find it over there. But the image of Inuysha coming in mid-workout and calling Kagome 'Kitten' for the first time was all thanks to Nokaninja's art (I already asked if I could include it in the fic and was happily granted permission! :3) so please check out Nokaninja's tumblr and bask in the amazing art!

Third, as usual the chapter title is an old 30s/40s song, and not only is it ironically descriptive of events in the chapter, but the song itself is also very fitting of Inuyasha and the fic and it's adorable and everyone should look it up. (Fools Rush In by Tony Martin)

Anyways, THANK YOU so much everyone for your continued support, and your reviews and faves and follows! It means the world to me! And thank you for your patience between chapters! I'm still here and I'm still writing, just... not as often as I'd like. But you guys give me the motivation to keep going!


End file.
